


The Two Artists

by inojinbae



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Art, Awkward Sexual Situations, Emotions, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Jealous Shikadai, Jealousy, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24438598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inojinbae/pseuds/inojinbae
Summary: Inojin and Araya both love art. They enjoy things like painting, drawings or sculptures. These guys even use similar weapons during their fights. Despite that they don't seem to like each other. What will happen when they got a mission together?
Relationships: Moegi/Sarutobi Konohamaru, Nara Shikadai/Yamanaka Inojin, Yamanaka Inojin/Araya
Comments: 14
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

"Eeeh?!" Inojin yelled when he heard Hokage's words. He wanted it to be a dream but it was a real nightmare. He didn't want to believe that he's going to spend following week with this guy. He didn't like him at all. He was cheater! 

It was a few months ago. They met each other during the Chuunin exam. Their teams managed to pass to third round. Inojin was matched with this weird Sand guy who hides his face behind the mask. He was making fun of him. He understimared him. He... Lost to him. His annoying grin on face disappeared. It was so painful for him. He thought he could win. But what kind of person that guy was? Araya - it was his name. That boy is mysterious but totally weird for sure.  
Later he could see his fight against Sarada. It was great but yeah... He was still hurt and it wasn't physically pain... It was all mentally. Sarada was amazing. She did something he couldn't do.  
She exposed him to everyone. At first Inojin regretted that he didn't use his mother jutsu but after that match he was rather glad. If he had used it he would have lost even ealier. He could finally see his true body standing above them all. Araya was all stressed and insecure. He was nothing like he has imagined. That sand guy was pathetic. How could he lost to someone like him?! When Inojin understood what this guy did he was pissed off. It was pure cheating! Yamanaka promised himself that he will kick his ass in the revenge. 

"We can't do it together, Hokage-sama. It won't work! I think I should go with Shikadai and Chocho! I don't want to be with this weirdo in one team!" blonde insisted but Uzumaki shook his in amusement. 

"You're truly Sai's and Ino's son.. I'm sorry, Inojin. I'm sure you two will get along. I hope..." he scratched nervoulsly his cheek. "Besides... Only you can make it. You're the artists. You will be good." Hokage ensured with his kind smile. 

"Yeah..." Kankurou sighted. "Araya, behave. Try not to irritate him. He isn't as calm as Shinki."

"Yes sir!" masked guy responded istantly gaining annoyed look from young Yamanaka. 

Shikamaru coughted. 

"Well... Inojin, please, don't be rude to him. We want you to get along. As you know, our villages are befriended. Don't ruin it with that sharp tongue of yours" he asked. 

Inojin looked at him confused. He didn't need to remind him such a trivial thing! He already knew that. He wasn't happy with that but he didn't say a thing. It's just one week. He can bare with that. Blonde furrowed eyebrows. 

"I know, I know. I'll try" he said and Shikamaru sighted tiredly. 

Then the men gave them the details of the mission. They are going to the art gallery placed in a small village where they will be guests to the exhibition. It was said that some of paintings and sculptures were faked and the real ones were stolen. Since they're both skilled artists and ninjas they should be able to recognize original works and catch an offender. 

"So good luck to you, guys!" wished happily Naruto. "I count on you. And remember... Be nice to each other!" 

"Yes." Inojin responded unwillingly.

They left. 

The blonde one looked at taller boy who had some scrolls, sword and one big puppet on his back. He wasn't playing attention to him at all. Or maybe he was. It was hard to tell since he has mask on his face.  
Yamanaka sighted and decided to mind his own business as well. There was no indication that they would like each other. 

"Hey, uh-" Inojin began. "I think we should talk."

Araya turned to him. They kept walking. 

"What is that?" he asked. 

"Eh... I can't tell when you're looking at me!" Yamanaka complained. 

"I am" he responded. "Is that all?" 

"Of course not, dumbass!" he yelled at him. Oh god, he was so annoying. "We should talk about our skills. I mean, it will be easier to cooperate..."

"Well... I'm kenjutsu practitioner just like you but better and I use Puppet Techinque. You're painter and Yamanaka Clan member, so you're skilled in Mind Techniques. Your mother is one of the best alive sensors in Shinobi World, am I right? That means you should be able to sense others as well. But you couldn't do that back then. So why are so weak?" he asked peacefully. 

He was getting on Inojin's nerves. He stopped. So Araya did. 

"Well I didn't expected that someone will be cheating in the exam, so I couldn't bother myself. It turned out that one of Kazekage's children is just pathetic and insecure brat who can't fight face to face" he hissed with angry look on his face. 

Silent. 

"You're right" the brown haired guy responded. He sounded like he was sad or embarrassed. He walked away ignoring the other boy who was confused. He was walking ahead not waiting for blonde. 

"Did I say too much?" Inojin asked himself while looking at other male. 

He joined him. They kept walking in silent for more than hour. It was really uncomfortable for Inojin who was rather talkative but he wouldn't like to have a confersation with this guy again. It was so troublesome. Maybe they both love art and have similar skills but that is all they have in common. They won't be friends because of hobby they share. 

"I think we should take a break here" the taller boy said as he stopped next to tree, looking at the other boy.

"You're tired?" Inojin asked with a smirk. He teased him. 

"A little. But you should go to sleep first."

"Why?" blonde tilted his head. 

"Because you're short and I've heard that sleep affects on your height" he said like it was nothing. In fact, he didn't want to offend him. 

"What did you say?!" Inojin was furious. He wanted to punch him in your face. His cheeks was pink and he wanted to hide it from that guy. 

"I said..." he began but he couldn't finish his sentence because Inojin punched him right in the face... Or mask. He was lucky to have a tree behind his back. "Not bad" he said holding onto it. 

Blonde only hurt himself. His hand was aching. 

"Are you alright?" the taller boy asked. 

"Yeah... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." 

"N-no, that's fine. I was rude. I... I deserved it." he sounded embarrassed. 

It was Inojin. Inojin was rude all the time. Inojin punched him in the face. Inojin offended him. 

Inojin felt guilty.  
But then he realized that they really have something in common... A sharp tongue. 

"I think we can get along after all" the smaller boy said with smile. 

Araya didn't say anything. He smiled under the mask. He was right. 

They put down their things. The Sand boy sat under the tree while Inojin lay himself on the grass. He couldn't fall asleep. He wasn't tired at all. He just stared in the sky watching all the stars and moon. It was beautiful. He wanted to paint it but he wasn't sure where he put his sketchbook. He stand up and went back to Araya who was guarding they and their things to look for it. He was surprised to see him with his own sketchbook. He was so focused on it that he didn't even noticed his presence. Inojin came up to him and leaned to see what he was doing over there. 

"Watcha drawing?" he asked looking at the thing he was holding. 

"W-wha? N-n-nothing!" He was all stressed that he was trying to hide it from the blonde. "Y-you should s-sleep!" he yelled nervously. 

"Hey, hey... Calm down" Inojin said with smile as he put hand on his arm. He sat next to him. "I didn't know you were drawing."

"I-it's j-just a p-project of..."

"Hey, breathe. You don't need to be nervous." he tried to calm him down. 

"Yeah..." the masked guy sighted. "It's just a project of my new puppet."

"Woah. Not bad. I would fix some details but it's really great."

"Thanks" he responded slighty embarrassed. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked. 

"I'm not tired. I wanted to draw a sky. It's beautiful." Inojin explained with a pure smile. 

Araya looked up. "Yeah, it is." he agreed and looked at him. 

The blonde boy was enjoying the amazing sight. He had slight blush on his cheeks and this cute smile. 

"So beautiful..." he unconsciously said to himself. 

Inojin was truly beautiful or handsome. Almost everyone admired him. He takes after his mother. His skin was so pale and pure. He hasn't got any scratch on it. His blonde hair was beautiful. His long eyelashes and his lean, slighty femine body... God... Because of that people often confuse his sex. Even Araya thought he was a girl when he first saw him. What a shame. 

He nearly choked when he realized that he said it out loud. Thanks God he was wearing a mask, so the other boy couldn't see his blush. Fortunately, Inojin was too busy watching the sky. He didn't pay attention to Araya's comment or thought it was about the view. 

They were so close... The brown-haired boy felt nervous. He wasn't used to it. It was... Nice. Inojin gave up with his idea to draw this sight. Instead he just stared at it until he fell asleep. He rested his head on Araya's shoulder which surprised the other one.  
He looked so cute. It made him even more nervous than before. 

"I would draw you if I could." he said quietly looking at his pretty, peaceful face. 

He was trying to focus on his project but he couldn't. His thoughts were filled with this cute blonde boy.


	2. Chapter 2

It was early morning. The sun was shining and birds were singing. Everything was fine except Inojin who found himself in uncomfortable and weird situation. When he woke up he was almost lying on Araya whose head was resting on his. He blushed furiously. He didn't even know when exactly he fell asleep. His entire body was hurting because of that embarrassing position. He stand up and decided to wake up the other boy. He was still wearing a mask. Isn't it uncomfortable? 

"He didn't take this off" he said to himself. Then he leanded to him. "Wake up, sleepy-head" he yelled and puppeter immediately got up. 

"Sorry I didn't even noticed when I fell asleep" Araya claimed while stretching his hands.

"Neither did I. We were lucky we didn't get robed. We should be more careful." Inojin looked away. 

"Yeah, you're right" he answered nervously. He remembered the evening. How could he fall asleep? That was too nice. The masked boy liked that but he would never say it out loud, especially in front of him. "W-we should go."

"Yes! I can't wait to take a bath!" he sighted and he heard Araya's laught. "What?" he asked angrily.

"It's nothing. You kinda remind me Yodo. That's all." He threw up his shoulders. "Come on, the sooner we leave the sooner we will arrive." he said while taking his all thing.

Yodo was that pretty girl who lost to Shikadai. In fact she is blonde as well but Inojin wasn't sure if he was anything like she. 

"You're right. The exhibition begins in two days. We can't be late." Yamanaka agreed and took his things as well. He finally found his sketchbook but it was too late. He put it in the bag so they could leave. They were heading to the small Village but they weren't sure if they were going in the right direction, so Inojin took the map. "Hey, Araya, look..." he yelled excited almost scaring the other boy who leaned to him to see what does he mean. "The Yugakure is on our way. Do you think we could go there?" Inojin asked making puppy eyes. He wasn't sure if it works on him but he hoped it does. He sometimes did it to his father. And Araya... Well he couldn't deny this cute face.

"If we will be late it will be your fault" he said as he walked away.

"We won't" the blonde assured as he took one of his scroll. He painted giant bird. "I hope you aren't afraid of heights" he said and sat himself on his living drawing. 

"What are you doing?" He stopped and turned to the blonde. 

"Come on. Don't be like that. You can always hug me, if you are" he teased with his fake smile. "So...?" 

"Okay..." he sighted, giving up as he climbed onto a bird. He didn't pay attention to his words. He didn't want to argue. "You're wasting your chakra."

"And you're wasting the air, so shut up" he hissed and rosed into the air. 

Araya has never flown before. It was his first time. He was excited and scared a bit yet he didn't show it. It was amazing experiance. Inojin smiled and took the map again just to make sure were they are. 

"We will be ealier than we expected. We can go sight-seeing, eat something and then go to the Hot Springs." he said happily and Araya knew that he had nothing to say about it, so he kept silent. "I'll take it as a agreement. We're speeding up. Be careful" he warned and the other boy nodded.

Shortly afterwards they were near the village mentioned earlier. In order not to attract attention, the boys jumped off the giant bird and headed for the gate where they were greeted by guards. These men were very nice and told them a bit about this town. They walked away from them. 

"I'm hungry" Inojin complained. "Hey, how are you going to eat with that thing on your face?" he asked but was ignored by the other boy. "Nevermind, I'm going to get something to eat. Are you coming with me?" 

"Yes" he answered quietly. 

They went in search of something to eat. Suddenly, they felt an appetizing smell. 

"That smell... It must be takoyaki!" blonde called cheerfully and ran to food stall. He was pleased because it was his favourite dish. He paid for it and soon he could enjoy the meal. "Wanna some?" he asked Araya, handing him one ball.

He refused it. He claimed that he wasn't hungry but Inojin could swear he heard his belly rumbling. 

"Are you sure?" asked him. That question embarrassed the taller one. "You should eat something. If you don't you won't be feeling very well." Inojin may be rude but he cares about others. He behaves like a caring mother. 

Brunette sighted and went to get food for himself. After he'd bought danego they sat on the bench. Araya slighty raised his mask to take a bite. 

"So you're not going to take it off after all?"

"I don't need to" he answered. 

"Geez... Isn't that uncomfortable?" 

"I got used to it."

Inojin rolled his eyes and sighted. This guy was mysterious. He was wondering what he hides. 

"Why are you wearing it all the time? Are you that ugly or what?" 

"None of your business."

The blonde boy gave him an angry look and stood up. He was tired of him and wanted to go back to his friends. He looked up in the sky. Why does he have to deal with him? He was fed up with it. 

"Let's go sight-seeing then. Pleasures first, duties later." Yamanaka winked to him and went ahead. Araya had no choice and joined him. 

They were having fun. They were talking and admiring sights for hours. They started to getting along pretty well. This village was beautiful. It was full of live. People there were kind and so cheerful. Inojin felt at home while the other boy was insecure a bit. Blonde noticed that so he and took his hand. 

"W-what a-a-are y-you doing?" he stuttered as everyone was looking at them. He felt nervous. He hated being in the spotlights. 

"You looked like you were scared, so I thought it will help you feel better" he explained innocently with a smile. 

Araya wanted to hide under the ground. His face was red and his hands were shaking. He wanted to disappear. 

"So it doesn't work..." Inojin noticed as he started walking away from the crowd. He was still holding puppeter's hand. 

"Where are we going?" he asked nervously. 

"To the Hot Springs."

Araya was sure he was going to die from embarrassment that day. He didn't say a thing. He kept walking alongside.  
It was getting late. Before they knew it the sky became darker. 

"Are you sure we won't be late to the exhibition?" dark haired boy asked. 

"We will be alright. I promise" he responded with a smile. 

Araya gave up. 

"I thought you were the responsible one out of your team" he sighted. 

"I am. And I thought you were the quiet one, so shut up. Sometimes you make me sick" 

Inojin didn't intend hurting him. He always says what he thinks. It can be both a disadvantage and an advantage.  
Soon they reached their tour destination and went inside. The staff gave them towels and robes, so they could use hot springs. Araya looked at other boy, who was ready to change. 

"What are you looking at?" he asked with a confusion. He felt weird. So Araya did. Or he was just embarrassed. Hard to tell. "You know you can't go in there in your clothes. I will turn around, so you can change. Besides, you shouldn't be embarrassed. We are both males and you look like you're muscular. No need to be ashamed" he complimented him but the other boy just burned with a blush, which fortunately Inojin couldn't see. He did what he told him to do. He was now all naked with towel around his hips.

The blonde felt jealous. This guy was tall and his body was way more masculine and mature than his. He untied his hair and decided to drown himself in the hot water. The worst thing was that he actually liked what he saw. He went into the water, where he hid his blush. His hair was floating on it making him look like a girl. Araya sat next to him. He wasn't looking at him. They were sitting in uncomfortable silent. 

"You know, you have to watch over my body" the smaller boy said suddenly. The puppeteer didn't know what was going on. It sounded vulgar to him. His cheeks grew even darker and he had no idea what to say.

"W-what do you mean?" 

"Huh?" Inojin straightened up. "You didn't know? When I use Mind Transfer Jutsu I leave my body completely defenseless."

"I see..." he said. He felt incredibly dumb. What was he thinking about? Why was he thinking about such lewd things? He was ashamed of himself. 

"Anyways... I think I trust you" painter said with a soft smile. He shyly looked away. 

Hearing these words, Araya's hearbeat skipped. He felt weird warmth inside his belly. That boy was so cute. He wanted to protects him. 

"You can count on me" he assured with a smile. In fact, Inojin couldn't see it but he felt it for sure. 

They spent the rest of the evening on pleasant conversations. To their surprise, they found many interesting topics. Finally refreshed, they left the hot springs and went on. Time was running out, so they had to hurry up which required an effort. But they didn't regret it. They wouldn't say it out loud but they both enjoyed their company. They finally got along. A visit to the Hot Springs was a great idea.


	3. Chapter 3

It was dark outside. The two boys were heading to an art exhibition in a small village. They were walking through the forest, where they could hear the rustle of leaves and the sounds of animals, most likely owls and deers. To remain unnoticed, they did not exchange a word with each other. It was late, and the night has come. They were completely bored. After all, who wouldn't be? Perhaps it may be good because they didn't have to engage in any fights. Although both of them were strong enough to face the enemy, none of them was eager to fight.

"Ah... It's so boring. Don't you think?" Inojin asked but Araya remained a silent. He didn't say anything and turned to him. "Say something" he insisted and the other one sighted. "We could use my Super Beast Scroll." 

"I don't think it's a good idea" he answered as he kept walking.

"But why?" he asked.

"Because we shouldn't be conspicuous. It will be suspicious if we will be flying on the giant bird above the people."

"Do you see any people over there? If so, you should buy yourself glasses." he teased with a smirk on his face. "We will be alright. Also by traveling in this way, we will save a lot of time and we won't be late for sure. C'mon Shikadai would agree with me."

But he was nothing like Shikadai. Araya was the opposite of him.  
He sighted again seeing how determined he is.

"You're not going to give up." Inojin shook his head. "Fine." he said making the blonde smile.

"Okay!" he called cheerfully. "Super Beast Scroll!"

"He is unbelievable" the Sand boy thought but joined to him. 

Soon they were flying straight to their mission place. The view was amazing. It was so peaceful and beautiful. They could feel gentle wind in their hair. It was a magical experiance, a dream. Araya felt like he was a bird or a fairy flying among the stars. 

"You're not that bad after all. I kinda like you" Inojin admitted and the masked boy nearly choked. It was so sudden. 

"T-thanks" he stuttered. He wanted to say that he like him as well but he was already too embarrassed. He never thought he would get along with someone from Konoha, especially his past rival. He thought he hated him because of his loss and his incorect behaviour during his fight. He was coward. 

"Are you alright?" blonde asked. He couldn't see his face and emotions, so he had to make sure because he sounded weird. 

"Y-yeah..."Araya answered quietly and Inojin smiled. 

"But you are not yourself, am I right?" 

"W-what do you mean by that?" 

"Don't act like you don't know what am I talking about. You hide your face, so noone can't see your emotions. You're often nervous and you're struttering. Sometimes you're cold but I can feel your warmth. You're afraid of being yourself. Why?" He looked at him. 

Araya didn't know what to say he just stared in the woods beneath them. Inojin was right. He wasn't himself. He didn't want to be. He wasn't comfortable with others except his sibling. He envied him being outgoing. Although he was a little sarcastic and mean he had many friends. He was himself. That boy was honest unlike him. But he didn't want to change. Maybe he wasn't really happy but he got used to it. Perhaps he was afraid of changes and being honest with everyone. 

"You know you would be much happier if you were less nervous and started to be yourself. Think of it." He smiled and focused on their way. 

"I'll try" he said shyly making the other boy smiled wider. 

"You can go to sleep if you want to. I'll take care of us. You now have headache for sure" he laughted. 

He was right. He was all confused. But he didn't want to go to sleep. It wouldn't help him at all. 

"I want to talk with you" he said after a moment of silent. 

"Oh, really? What is it? I'm listening" he responded immediatelly since he was surprised. It was the first time Araya started a conversation. 

"So... First of all, I wanted to thank you for not hating me. It looks like I'm a kind of person that people hate. Although I cheated on you, you still were nice to me. Well, I see you have a really sharp tongue but you can be kind and really caring as well."

"This is how I am. I don't intend hurting anyone... Well, not always. I like myself, so I don't pretend to be someone else. And... I promised myself that I'll kick your ass next time." He smiled. 

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked and Inojin nodded, so he was able to continue. "You're smiling all the time. How do you do it?"

"To be honest, I sometimes falsifie a smile because it can get out of trouble. I also think that a smile is a good option in every situation. It is certainly pleasing to the eye." Araya was shocked. He wouldn't think that this smile isn't real. He really didn't know much about human emotions. "But mostly I smile, when I'm around my friends. I don't have to falsifie it because I'm truly happy. Friends and family are the most important in our lives."

Araya felt sad. He didn't have a real family. His mother was dead and he couldn't do anything about it. His father left them when he was an infant. He didn't have any sibling as well. And friends... What friends? He didn't have one. Shinki and Yodo were his teammates but he wasn't sure if he could call them in that way. He trusted them.  
He bowed his head. 

Inojin made a soft face. He knew that behind this mask he was really sad. He wanted to do something but he didn't know what. He sometimes was as clueless as his father. 

"You don't seem to have any friends."

It hurted him even more. 

"But you can make them easily." He reached out and grabbed the others hand. "See? If you stretch out your hand, someone will give you their" he said with a warm smile. Araya could swear it was the real one. 

"Do you mean..." He looked at him. 

"Yes, we're friends" he answered with light blush on his cheeks. "You can't smile if you're lonely and upset. Even if you do, it won't be nice and people can tell it's fake" he explained. It was ridiculous because noone could see his face though. 

"I understand" he responded and laughted quietly. 

He was happy.  
His rival became his friend. Nothing could surprise him anymore. 

He appreciated it.


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, they reached the village where the exhibition was taking place. However, they had no idea where it would be placed. They asked passers-by, but nobody knew anything. The boys were confused.

"Are you sure we are in the right place?" Inojin finally asked, looking at the taller boy who was wondering. "There is nothing."

"There are very few people over here," he noted, looking around. "Hey, can you sense how many people are around us?"

"Why? It makes no sense. I'm not good enough to be able to sense everyone. The information may be wrong," he explained, but it didn't discourage Araya in any way.

"Try," he encouraged, watching him closely.

"Fine" the blonde sighed loudly and after a while focused on the task. He closed his eyes and frowned. It lasted longer than he expected. By using this technique for too long, his head ached and blood ran out of his nose.

"Are you alright?" dark-haired boy asked worried, approaching him. Inojin nodded and wiped the blood with his hand.

"That's weird..." he began, drawing other's attention, who was waiting for his words. "I didn't feel anyone. Even though we've talked to so many people, it looks like noone is here."

"As I thought. Immediately after entering here, we were caught in genjutsu. What are we going to do?"

"They had to know we will be here. What's more, we're dealing with ninja," he said, and put his hand on his hip. "However, this illusion is not strong. We can easily free ourselves from it. The only thing left is that they know about us. They may know how we look like. We have no idea who they are and where to look for them."

"For now, we can only free ourselves from the illusion." Inojin nodded and they were both free immediately. "We can't separate. Don't get lost."

"Okay, Dad," the shorter one answered ironically. "It's hard to miss you anyway. You stand out from the crowd."

"You have one less problem then. Come on, we have to hurry," he said, pointing the time on the big clock.

They both moved ahead, looking for the exhibition they were heading to. They didn't have to ask anyone because it was marked with a huge signboard. Along the way, they also saw leaflets. They exchanged a look and went inside. The walls were white. A lot of paintings and wall lamps hung on it. This place had its charm for such a small village.

"Do you see anything suspicious?" Araya asked, leaning toward the shorter one. Inojin was about to answer when two men approached them. Brown-haired boy was already prepared for the fight and stood in front of him in defense of his friend. His first friend. 

If only they knew who they were dealing with.

"Are you looking for something specific?" asked the fatter of them, frowning. He didn't look like a nice person. "We are happy to help you."

"You don't have to. We'll manage," the blonde replied, smiling artificially. Araya prayed silently that he won't say anything inappropriate. He knew him well enough to expect sort of it.

"For sure? I think our help will be useful to you," he insisted, smiling disgustingly.

"Are you deaf, fat man? I said-" he couldn't finish, because the tall boy stuffed his mouth with his hand.

"I'm sorry for him," he said quietly, taking the boy aside. "Did you have to?"

"Huh? Did I do something wrong?" he asked confused, tilting his head sideways.

"Forget" he sighed, looking around the room. "Do you think it was them?"

"Their chakra is as disgusting as they are. No doubt it was them. We have to watch them carefully." Araya nodded.

"By the way... How do we distinguish the original from the replica? I know these paintings, but I can not tell if they are real. They look all the same," the brunet said quietly, looking at the sculptures.

"Art conveys feelings. The original image, painted by a real creator, reflects his soul, thoughts, emotions. It shows a huge amount of information about a man. The replica is only a miserable and empty copy. It is easy to distinguish them."

Araya was impressed by the passion when he talks about art He could say that it occupies a special place in his life. Even he wasn't so attached to her.

"I understand" he replied briefly, trying to focus on the task.

"From what I see... It seems to me that most of these paintings are originals. Perhaps they haven't managed to steal them yet. However, we are dealing with shinobi. We don't know what they are going to do," he said, looking seriously at his friend. He turned towards the exhibition. "Do you see that two paintings? The author never painted them. This is not his work," he noted, moving on. He stopped by the sculptures. "Several sculptures are missing here."

Araya understood everything.

"Remember? When we entered the village, we were caught in genjutsu. We didn't notice it at first  
This means that the illusion technique wasn't only thrown on us, but on this place. In other words, the people here are influenced by genjutsu, "he explained.

"That's right. Ever since we got here, no one but these two said a word to us. That's why no one saw and caught them. How could we overlook it?" he sighed dissatisfied. "However, there are too many of people to free everyone from the illusion without being noticed. What are we doing?"

"I didn't want to, but it looks like we have to fight."

"That means we will fight alongside for the first time, not against each other." Inojin smiled.

"Yes. But first we need to work out a plan" Araya began to wonder, but the blond shook his head quickly.

"We don't have time for this. First I will use my Super Beast Scroll to distract them, then you will attack them with your puppets. When they will be tired, we will seal them."

"I don't think it is that simple. Well. Let's try."

The boys waited for the men to leave the building along with the stolen works. They followed them, trying to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. Finally, in a place convenient for them, they decided to attack. Inojin drew creatures that circled the thieves, forcing them to stop. When confused men tried to get rid of the strange creatures, Araya joined the fight with two puppets attacking them mercilessly. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to stop them. In the blink of an eye, they dealt with both drawings and puppets. Then they noticed the boys who were nearby.

"So it's really you. Do you think such childish tricks affect us? You will regret it," snarled the thinner, who ran towards them. He used the water style and two sharp swords.

"Be careful. They are strong," Araya said, standing in front of the blond again.

"You have already noticed that, kid? Too late. We will show no mercy for you," said the fatter who was using the earth style. He tried to imprison boys, but they reacted quickly. They backed away, wanting to increase the distance between them. Unfortunately, it was another illusion. Behind them was a cliff from which they fell. "It went easily" he commented proudly.

At that time, the boys fell freely. Without wasting time, Inojin drew a huge bird, saving himself from falling. Seeing that the dark-haired boy wasn't able to save himself, he flew over to him and grabbed his hand.  
He saved him.

"Y-you... Thank you," he whispered embarrassed.

"You'll give me official thanks later. Now let's focus on the fight."

After a while they appeared again before them.

"How is it possible?!" one of the criminals asked incredulously.

"Do not underestimate us," the blond said proudly, and then turned to the brunet. "You take care of this skinny, I will take the fat one" he informed, then without listening to the Araya's protests, he ran towards the man. He avoided his attacks, some managed to dodge. He even managed to draw a few creatures to distract him. "Now I have a chance!" he called and trapped him with the snakes he drawn. Then he used Mind Transfer Jutsu. It was successful. No doubt his skills in this area have improved. Taking full control of the criminal's body, he ran towards the other who was fighting Aray. The boy was dealing with him. They fought almost equally. Without waiting, the blond in the man's body immediately attacked him, inflicting a powerful blow on him.

"What's that supposed to mean, Ryu?" he asked furiously, who was still getting merciless blows.

"So this is the famous technique of the Yamanaka clan," the brunet noted, looking at the defenseless body of the blonde. He could only watch this fight. Unfortunately, the blond quickly lost the advantage. After a while he was all battered. Blood dripped from his mouth.

"I understad now... It seems that when the person that this kid controls is suffering, he also feels it," he said triumphantly, smiling. "I won't feel guilty if I kill him."

Araya opened his eyes wide at that. He couldn't allow it. He didn't know what to do. They were too strong.  
He wanted to do anything, so he threw himself into the attack. Unfortunately, he was blocked and then he got hit. He failed.

"Inojin, stop it!" he shouted, sitting next to his body.

The man took the opportunity to direct his attack towards the boy's defenseless body with the intention of killing him. Araya seeing this, leaned over the blond, protecting him. After a moment, a sharp tool stuck in his back. Then Inojin regained consciousness. When it hit him, he was shocked.

"Why you-" he began, looking at him closely. 

"I promised to take care of your body."

"We got rid of him. Now..." he turned to the young Yamanaka.

"You'll regret" growled the fatter one, throwing countless shurikens towards him. Inojin couldn't avoid it. He tried to dodge this attack with a tanto, but a large number of tools managed to cut his clothes and skin. 

He felt small.  
But it didn't matter.  
He had to prove himself and others that he was not as weak as they think.  
He had to protect Araye.

He had to do something. 

He decided to use a technique he had just learned. He wasn't sure it would work. It was worth trying. That was their last chance.

"Mind Destruction Jutsu!" In this way he took control of them, forcing them to fight. He remained conscious. It absorbed large amount of chakra. 

"I can't control his body! That brat..." growled, and Inojin smiled.

He ran to Araya, who was lying on the ground. He was conscious but apparently he suffered a lot. To help him, the blond immediately began to heal him.

"Are you a medical ninja?" he asked quietly. Inojin nodded and told him to shut up. He needed to focus. "Why are you treating me? You were hurt as well."

"Stupid, I can't heal myself," he replied laughing.

"What about them?" he asked, glancing toward the men.

"They're fighting. Soon they will pass out from the lack of strength, and then we will take them back to the village, along with the stolen works," he said, finishing the treatment. "Fortunately, the wound wasn't as serious as I thought," he said rather to himself, smiling proudly.

"Thank you," said the dark-haired man. He raised. "By the way, it was amazing."

"Do you really think so?" he asked with a blush, at which the other nodded.

"Looks like they're on the verge. I'm going to trap them in my special puppets," he said, forcing one of the scrolls. After a while, the men were locked up in puppets resembling a small prison. "They shouldn't be causing us any more problems."

Inojin laid down on the grass and sighed heavily. He used up almost all his chakra. He was exhausted. He couldn't even move.

"Is there something I can do?" he asked looking at him. "You don't look well."

"You're the one to talk" The blond boy laughed. "I just need a moment."

"I understand," he replied, and looked at trapped men. "We can't take them with us. We need to inform someone." He began to wonder what they should do. Inojin didn't have enough chakra to inform someone using the Mind Transmission Technique or Super Beast Scroll and he didn't have any similar technique. "I will go to the village. I will inform them personally. Don't go anywhere," he said and disappeared before the blond man could protest.

All he could do was wait. He still couldn't move. It was a first serious battle in his life. Despite the pain he felt, he was proud of himself. He was even more happy about the successful cooperation with Araya. It was true, their skills matched each other. They make quite a good team together.

This is amazing. In one week they became close as friends, proved their strength and Araya was less nervous. It was a miracle.  
Mission accomplished.  
The week is not over yet. Who knows what fate will bring.  
The boy's voice and several villagers, freed from the illusion, pulled him out of his thoughts. Araya freed the men from his puppets so that they could arrest them.

"Thank you for your sacrifice. You saved not only us but also art. We are grateful to you," said the owner of the exhibition. "As a compensation, we invite you to a feast. Our nurses will take care of your wounds."

The boys couldn't refuse. Inojin was still not fully functional, so Araya took him piggyback. Together they followed the crowd.

That fight brought them closer together for sure.


	5. Chapter 5

Soon the boys were sitting at the table with others. Their wounds were wrapped with bandages and they felt better. The atmosphere was pretty good. People were singing and dancing but these two were too tired to do the same. Suddenly, someone appeared in the hallway, so they both turned to silhouette. It looked familiar. 

"Dad?" Inojin asked confused. He was really surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"Good job, you two. I was watching you" he said with a smile. "I had to make sure that you are alright, since you're just genins" he explained as he approached and placed his hand on his hip. "I knew you will get along" 

"Y-yeah..." the blonde anwered blushing. "So, are we going home? I miss Shikadai and others. And my bed.." 

Hearing these words, Araya felt sad a little. Their return means that their mission ends. They will have to say goodbye to each other. He will miss him for sure. He really liked that boy. 

"I thought, you would like to rest for a while. You must be exhausted" Sai responded. 

"I'm fine, Dad" he assured as he stood up. 

"I don't think so. You don't look good. You should get some rest. Araya won't carry you home. Nor will I" he said with a smile and little giggle. 

"Dad! I can't believe... You're so embarrassing! You better be quiet" he sighted with a light blush on his cheeks. "I will be alright, so please, hurry up."

Araya couldn't help but laughed. He didn't mind caring Inojin since that blonde wasn't that heavy. Yet, he was smaller than most of people at their age.  
He was jealous of their relations. He knew he will come back to the empty room and he won't be greeted by anyone. Of course, he missed their teammates but they were too calm to show emotions. Especially Shinki, who hardly ever says a word. 

"Besides Inojin, I'm glad that you use your mother's techniques. She will be proud of you. Your skills really improved since Chuunin Exam."

"You really think so? Thanks!" he said cheerfully and looked at him. "You should see Araya! He fought with one of them like if they were just genins! And then he protected me." 

"I saw that" he answered and turned to the other boy. "Thank you for saving my son" he said with a smile. 

"I-I didn't do a-anything" he murmured. 

"Don't be so modest, Araya. You're really talented shinobi! I owe you."

"Y-yeah..." he responed. He didn't want to argue. Yet, he couldn't agree with that. He may saved his body from the attack but Inojin was the one, who treated his wounds and manage to handle with their opponents. What a shame...

"Now, now. You should thank them for their hospitality, so we can leave" 

"Oh, you're right. They were so nice! They even gave us these bracelets! These are really great suvenirs from our first mission alongside! Right, Araya?" he turned to him and the other boy nodded. They walked away to the villagers, who were upset that their guests had to leave 

Sai was watching them carefully. At first, he wasn't trusty towards that boy from Sunagakure. He remembered their fight in which he was basically cheating. He remembered how sad Inojin was, when he lost to him. He knew his son, so he was afraid that they will be arguing or simply fighting during the mission. He was surprised, when he found out, that these two actually liked each other. Moreover, they became friends. He smiled, remembering his beginnings, when years ago he joined to the team 7. 

"Can we leave? I want to go home." He heard Inojin's voice. He was just like his mother. He even complains just like her. 

"Yes. Let's go" he ordered as they left the building and that small village. He was glad that there was bo silent. The boys were talking about random things. "Araya, you know that right after we came back to Konoha, you will have to return to your village, right?" he interrupted their conversation with a question. 

"Y-yes" he responed sadly. 

"Dad-" the blonde wanted to say something but his father didn't let him. 

"But we can ask Kankuro, if you could stay with us for one more day. Besides, we need some help in our florist's shop. What do you think?" 

"I would like to" he answered.

Inojin kept silent and smiled widely. He liked spending time with that boy. He was glad that he could get to know him closer. Araya wasn't that bad as he thought he would be. "And if he doesn't agree, I will ask my mother to convince him." He laughed with his father and Araya smiled under the maska, so noone could have noticed that. 

After some time, Sai used Super Beast Scroll, so that they would come home ealier. He knew that the kids were tired though they didn't want to show that. He painted two giant birds, which were much bigger that Inojin's. The boys were impressed. Especially Araya. 

"Well, I'm still far from you, Dad" Inojin commented, as he jumped on the creature. "How long it will take?" 

"Long enough for you to take a nap. Seriously, you two should get some rest."

"Geez, my dad is so annoying" he whispered to the other boy. 

"I heard that..." the raven said with a fake smile, which disappeared right after he looked at him. 

"So scary" they both said quietly. 

They were still far away from home. Fortunately, Sai's drawnings were much faster than Inojin's, so they could arrive ealier. Yet that journey was so boring. 

"Hey, could you tell me something about your family?" Inojin asked Araya, who was sitting next to him. 

"I don't have any. My parents were killed on the mission" he responded. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know"

"Of course you didn't. That's why you asked me, am I right?" 

"Y-yeah" he nervously laughed to himself. 

"That's why I'm jealous of you. You are sociable and kind. You have many friends and a loving family. I can just imagine how does it feel like" he said, bowing his head, when he suddenly felt someone's fingers on his hand. He looked at the blonde boy. 

"Stupid. Don't you remember? We are friends. I'll punch you in the face if you don't stop saying something like that" he warned with a smile upon his face. Maybe it wasn't a great idea to comfort somebody but it worked. 

They both heard Sai's laugh, who was on the other bird, which forced them to turn to him. 

"So that's how you two have gotten along" he encountered and Inojin became as red as tomato. He was just like his mother. 

"Mind your own bussines, Dad" he said angrily, which made his father laugh. 

He raised his hands up and gave up. He knew that Inojin has strong character like his wife, so there was no way he could win. 

After long time they finally reached the place. They were standing right in front of gate. It was already dark outside. They had to be checked by the guards before they entered the village. 

"I send a report ealier, so you can go home. Tell your mother that I will come soon."

"So we're not heading to the Hokage's office?" 

"Not today. It's too late. Now go" he ordered. Inojin obeyed and he was walking home but Araya was standing still. 

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked, looking at him. 

"I-I don't know where to go. I can't remember, where we stayed."

"Huh? We are heading to my place. I thought it was obvious."

"But-" 

"No buts!" he cutted his sentence. "You're not going to hang around at night. My mum would kill me if she knew I let you. You're going with me" he said as he grabbed his wrist. 

Araya didn't say a thing, and did what he was told to. 

Soon they were in front of Yamanaka Family's house. They were trying to be as quiet as it was possible, but his mother heard them entering. 

"Inojin? Oh my God! You're alright!" she shouted as she ran to her son to hug him. "Oh my God, you were wounded! Is everything fine?" 

"Mom, calm down! I'm fine, I swear." he assured. He was really embarrassed by his mother's behaviour. "I wanted to ask you if Araya could stay for a night."

"Stupid question. Of course he-" she cut herself, looking at the taller boy, who was standing behind tthe blonde. "Oh, you're Inojin's late rival. I didn't think you will became friends. Anyway, of course, you can stay." 

"Thank you. I will prepare my room. Please, wait here." He turned to the other boy and ran upstairs. 

"Feel at home. You have to be exhausted" she said with a warm smile. Araya just nodded. 

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Inojin was really similar to her. That's why he felt embarrassed of his thoughts. He really was attracted to that boy but he didn't want to admit that. It was weird. 

Really weird. 

"It's done" Inojin informed, as he came for Araya to join him. He grabbed his hand and led upstairs. 

"Goodnight, boys!" Ino said and went back to sleep. 

"Your mother is a really beautiful and warm woman" he said standing in the middle of the room, not knowing what he should do. He was so insecure. 

"I know. My mom is the best. But she can be really scary, so she is also a kind of woman you should be afraid of."

"I see..." he answered. 

"I'm going to take a bath. If you're tired, you can go to sleep on my bed. I will take the mattress." 

"I will sleep on the mattress. It's your room" he sat on it, looking at the other boy who didn't protest. 

"As you wish. You can also take a shower, if you want to. I will give you my father's clothes. Mine will be too small for sure" the blonde said with a smile. 

"Thank you" he responded. The other boy left, so he was alone. He was admiring all the paintings hanging on the wall. They were beautiful. Inojin was really talented painter. And those flowers... He must love them. 

Who could know that he will end up like that. In strange room with those people. That family was so kind that he felt really bad for beating that boy during the Chuunin Exam. He was really grateful for all he had done for him. After all Inojin can be really nice person when he doesn't use his sharp tongue.  
He was almost asleep, when he heard the other boy's voice. 

"I got you some clothes. They will be too big but I think you can handle it" he said and gave them to the taller boy, who stood up. "Bathroom is on your left."

"Thank you." He went in that direction to take a quick shower. He took off his mask to wash his face. He got used to wearing that but sometimes that was really troublesome and uncomfortable, especially when he wore that for too long. As soon as he washed his body he put on those clothes. They weren't really big. Or Araya wasn't average height at his age. He was really tall, taller than his peers.  
He came back to Inojin's room, who was already sleeping on his bed. He must have been really tired. His hair was loose and his face was so peaceful. That boy looked so cute, that Araya could stand over there the while night and looking at him. Instead of that he covered him with a blanket and laid himself on the mattress.  
He was full of thoughts. He really liked that boy, but it felt weird, like he had butterflies in his belly. He didn't know what to think about that. He wanted to be close to him. 

What is that feeling?


	6. Chapter 6

Araya woke up first. He didn't know what to do. Inojin was still sleeping and he had to be very quiet not to bother the blonde. It was really awkward for him, since it wasn't his home. He didn't even know that place. He just raised up and stared through the window when suddenly he heard somebody's knocking to the door, so he turned around to see intuder. It was Sai, who was going to wake up the boys.

"Good morning" he greeted him with a smile. "Did you sleep well?" he asked as he entered the room. Araya just nodded his head and felt incredibly anxious. Sai was really nice guy. He may seem to be weird emotionless guy, but he has really warm heart. Even Shinki trusted that man and respected him, which was rather unusual for him. This man was regarded as a really talented shinobi and because of that the Sand boy felt so small. "Good then, we're heading to the Hokage's office. Wake Inojin up and get ready. We're leaving soon" the pale man informed and went downstairs. 

How does he supposed to do that? He just stared at him as he didn't know what to do. He took a chance to admire his amazing apprarance. His face was even prettier than Yodo's. Inojin looked more like his mother with that blond hair and big, pale blue eyes but he surely inherited skin colour from his father. His eyelashes was darker and longer than any other's boy he knew. At first sight, Araya thought that he was a girl, so he didn't want to fight against him. It was a surprise, when he found out, that he was just a very femine boy. And now, when he was sleeping... He looked like an angel and so pure. His face was so peaceful that the brunet male didn't want to wake him up. Not only didn't he want to disturb him and annoy him, but also that sight was too pleasure for his eyes. Not saying, that he felt really insecure about waking somebody up. He decided to try, so he he poked him lightly, but Inojin didn't react. The boy did it again but this time he used more strength. When it didn't worked, he just shook him, without saying a thing. 

"Hm?" the blonde one murmured as he opened his sleepy eyes. "What the-" he gasped and jumped. He raised up immediately and Araya didn't have enough time to step back, so their faces collided. "It hurts!" Inojin complained. Since the taller boy was wearing a mask he didn't feel any pain. "What was that? You wanted to kiss me or what?" he asked angrily, stroking his forehead. 

"N-no..." Araya stuttered, feeling really embarrassed. "Your father asked me to wake you up. He said that we are going to Hokage's office" he explained, still staring at him. He looked so beautiful with his hair down. 

"Ughh... I totally forgot about it. Well, we have to get ready. Ehh... Do you mind if I change in front of you? You won't get an erection or something, will you?" he asked shamelessly. Araya blushed madly and shook his head. "Good then" he said and went to the closet to take his purple hoodie and black trousers. It was his day off, so he wore casual clothes and binded his hair in a small ponytail. "You can stay in these clothes. Well, you don't have a choice, since my mom washed your clothes because they were all dirty" he said and Araya noticed that his clothing was missing. Inojin's mother must have taken them, when they were sleeping. "Let's go downstairs. We should have some breakfast before the work." Araya just nodded. He wasn't really talkative. 

"Good morning" Inojin said cheerfully, walking towards his mother, who was standing in the kitchen. 

"Oh, good morning, sweetie." The blonde woman hugged him. After that, she approached the taller boy. "Did you sleep well?" Ino asked with soft smile. 

"Y-yes. Thank you" he answered. 

"I'm glad. Your breakfast will be ready in a moment. Please, sit at the table" 

Araya did as he was told. He sat next to Sai, who was still smiling. 

"How do you supposed to eat with that mask on your face?" the pale man asked, looking at him. "You should take it off."

"I will be alright" Araya replied. He didn't want to talk about it. He just felt safier hiding his face. Fortunately, Inojin sat opposite him, handing him glass of water. 

"Here. You should drink it right after you woke up" he said with a smile. The blonde boy was really nice and caring, just like his parents. His personality was really interesting. He could be the kindest and helpful person you know but on the other, he could be sarcastic and mean shameless boy with a sharp tongue. 

"Thanks" 

"You're welcome" he answered and rested chin on his hand, looking at him with the same smile. 

Sai was watching the boys carefully. Although he didn't really understand human feelings, even he could see that they like each other and feel comfortable together. He already knew that an art brings people together. It seemed that they were really close. Sai read something about it. When he looked at his son he could notice that his smile was different near that masked boy than when he was with his friends. He didn't want to say anything because it would annoy the blonde boy for sure. He wasn't good at it so he just waited for Ino to talk with him. 

"Here you are" his wife served him and the boys breakfast and sat with them. "Enjoy your meal" she said with a smile. 

That family was so warm. Araya could feel pleasure just from sitting with them. Yet, he was just staring at the food. 

"You're not eating?" Inojin asked, looking at the other boy. His parents were doing the same, which made him nervous. 

"I-I..." he stuttered and immediately took a fork in his hand, causing the glass to fall. 

Inojin tilted his head. He wanted to yell at him but then he noticed his mother's glare, so he didn't say a word.  
Araya wanted to clean it up but Ino stopped him. 

"I will do that. There is no reason to be nervous, honey. Please, calm down" she said smiling at him and he nodded. She felt so sorry for that boy. Nothing happens without the reason.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't-"

"Don't be sorry, just be better" Inojin replied simply and focused on the meal. 

After the breakfast, Sai took boys to the Hokage's office, where they were praised for their job. Naruto was really proud of them. He was glad that they finally got along and completed the mission. 

"Araya, I heard that you're staying with us one more day" Naruto smiled to him. "You should meet other genins. I think you will make some friends here."

"We will see them later. Now we have to go to our flower shop and we are already late. Mr. Hokage, you don't want to piss off my mother, do you?" blonde boy asked and Naruto gulped when he imagined Ino's anger. 

"You're right. You are free" he said, laughing nervously. "Why are all the moms so scary?" he murmured to himself after the boys left the room. 

"Why does Inojin behave like one of them?" Shikamaru asked the raven, who just shook his head avoiding the answer he didn't even know. He caused both males to laugh. "Well, they kinda remind me Ino and you" he said, putting his hands in pockets. 

"Good thing that they don't remind you your marriage" Sai replied with his fake smile. 

"That's true. Eh, troublesome" Shikamaru sighted, thinking about his spouse, scratching his neck. 

In the same time, boys were heading to the flower shop. It was early morning, so there weren't many people on the streets. Inojin was watching the taller boy, who was walking next to him carefully. 

"Is something wrong?" he asked, seeing the blonde's curiosity. 

"Do you want to hang out with my friends after the work? With your help we will be free ealier."

"I think I should spend some time with my own team" 

"Oh, come on. You will spend so much time with them later. So?" 

"I'm type of person that people dislike, so I don't think-" 

"One more word and I'll punch you in that stupid mask of yours. You are not that type of person." Inojin stopped right in front of him, so that he couldn't move on. He stood on his tiptoes to reach his face. "I really like you and I'm sure others will do the same. You're just too nervous but it's not something that you can't change. I can help you fight that" he said, furrowing his eyebrows. "I can't believe that I actually said that..." the blonde sighted and started walking. "Well, after work we're going to Kaminari Burger, just so you know." Inojin could feel his cheeks burning.  
He was glad that the other boy didn't say a thing. He was saved as they finally reached the place. 

Araya looked around. It was a very beautiful sight. There were so many flowers he had never seen before. They were so colorful and had different shapes. In his village there weren't many flowers, since the weather over there wasn't good for plants. 

"How can I help here? I don't know anything about flowers."

"You will throw away dead flowers, clean up the flower pots and then I will do the rest" he explained but he could notice, that Araya was feeling insecure. "Don't worry, I will show you. Now, wait here, I'm going to get the pots and flowers" he informed. 

It wasn't long time since he came back with those things. They were so heavy that Inojin almost lost his balance. Fortunately, Araya caught them and made sure that the shorter boy won't fall. He was really embarrassed about that incident. He was just staring at the floor.

"I will take that" Araya said. He took all the thing from young Yamanaka and placed them on the table. 

"T-thanks" he managed to say. His cheeks were as red as flowers behind him which made the brunet smile under his mask. "Stop staring at me, stupid. Maybe I can't see your face but I can see that!" he was indigant, so Araya gave up, since he didn't want to get punched. Instead of that he tried to focus on his work. 

"So how do I know if a flower is dead?" 

"Hmm... Check the stems. The stems of the plant should be pliable and firm and will have a green cast on the inside if they are still alive. If the stem is mushy or brittle, check the roots for the same conditions" he explained but Araya seemed to be confused. "See?" Inojin showed him example. "They are dead and we can't sell them to our clients."

"I'll try" he replied and started doing what he was told. 

"If you have some doubts, call me. I'm going to water the plants, and place them in the right system" the blonde informed and focused on his job. 

When he finished that, he could open the flower shop and serve the customers. Meanwhile, Araya was still struggling with selecting dead flowers. It was really hard for him bud on the other hand it was pleasurable. It calmed him down. Of course, he was doing it much more slower than Inojin and he needen his help but he kinda liked that. 

"How are you?" the blonde one asked, hanging on the taller boy's arm, which made him feel uncomfortable. "You managed to do it well. Yet, you are as slow as snail. I will be forgiving, since you have never done this before" he said, smiling cheerfully. "I'm so tired."

"Is your flower shop is that popular?" 

"Yup. It's way older than me. It's a tradition of my family which lasts many years. It's not weird that we have plenty clients per hour." He shrugged his arms and sat at the table. He rested chin on his hand. "Even though, I love it."

"What is so special about the flowers? They are just like any other plants" he said confused. That question got Inojin irritated. 

"Ehh, you're so clueless. Fist of all, all the plants are beautiful. Without them our world would be awful. Well, we would be dead probably. Nevermind. Moreover, each flower has it's own meaning. For example..." He turned around to take one, so that he could explain it better." The most highly coveted of ornamental plant, the delicate, exotic and graceful orchid represents love, luxury, beauty and strength."

"I undestand" he replied simply, minding his own job. 

"Geez, you're so hopeless" he commented, as he took the seat again. Then he heard another sound of bells, which informed about another client. He realized that it was Konohamaru. "Good morning! What are you doing here, Konohamaru-sensei?" 

"Good morning Inojin and..." He looked at the other boy. "You must be from Kazegakure. I heard about your mission. You did really great job" he praised them. "Well, I wanted to buy some flowers like roses or..."

"Hmm? For who?" 

"W-why are you asking?" he asked nervously and blushed madly. 

"I have to know that. Each flower has it's own meaning. Some of them are meant for love ones, some for family... If you want me to advice you and you don't want to embarrass yourself, please tell me" Inojin explained and Araya was watching him carefully. He could notice his love for flowers. 

"It's for... A girl I like" he replied, scratching his neck. 

"I see. Wait here" he said as he started making bouquet of Daisies and Blue Irises. He already knew to whom Konohamaru intended to give it. He handed it to him, so the male could pay him. 

"They are really beautiful. Thanks, Inojin."

"No problem. I'm sure Moegi-sensei will like them as well" he said with a smirk. 

The brown-haired man didn't say a thing. He just left the flower shop with blush on his cheeks. He didn't know how the blonde boy could know that. Was it so obvious? She has grown up into a really beautiful and strong woman. They were friends for a long time but something changed. They were closer with each other and their relationship became more romantic, which everyone could notice. 

"Why didn't you give him these orchids?" Araya asked, looking at him. 

"Because they aren't close enough. They're not a couple yet. The flowers I put in that bouquet mean friendship and desire to develop it into something more. They are innocent and beautiful. They also mean devotion and deep love. Moegi-sensei and Konohamaru-sensei have been friends for a really long time but even blind person can sense they have huge feelings for eachother. These two are meant to be together. Besides, Moegi-sensei likes Daisies" he explained with a pure smile. 

"I understand" he said. The whole thing about those flowers was too much for him. They looked nice for him and that was all. He didn't knew that they have their own language. 

"I see you don't. You have to feel it, so maybe some day... Wait, I have an idea" he called, and took something from shelves behind him. "This is a chrysanthemum seed. It represents support and friendship. I hope you'll take care of it, so that it can grow along with our relationship. By giving it to you I mean that I am always going to be here for you." He smiled, handing it to the other boy. 

"I..." he started nervously but then he took it from him. "Thank you, I will definitely take care of it" he assured. 

"I'm glad. Well, it's getting late and I don't see any more clients, so we can close already. My mother will be mad at me but I can deal with her. I'm already tired and hungry, so we're going to eat out with my friends and don't you dare to protest" he said and they both left the shop. 

Soon they were in the restaurant. They took their meal and went to find others. 

"Hey, Inojin, here!" they could hear Boruto's voice. He was sitting with Mitsuki, Shikadai and Iwabee.

"Oh, hey guys" he replied and approached them. 

"Long time, no see, right?" he asked with a smile, which disappeared right after he saw the boy who was standing behind Inojin. "Is that the guy from Shinki's team, who beated you?" 

"Yup, it's him. And you must be that brat who was cheating in the whole Chuunin Exam. Well, to be honest you both were cheating" the platinum blonde said ironically. 

"Wow, chill... You got me, dattebasa." Boruto raised up his hands laughing. "Are you sitting with us?" he asked and Inojin nodded and sat at the separated table next to him because there wasn't enough space. "So how was your mission?" he asked and Inojin started telling the story. 

They all were chatting, laughing and having a good time. Well, all except Shikadai, who was watching them in the silent and unpleasant look upon his face. Inojin noticed that but he didn't said a word. Not yet. 

"So you're leaving soon" Nara said, and the other boy just nodded. "Good" he answered sipping his drink. 

"Shikadai!" Inojin yelled, glaring at him. He did it too loud since everyone looked at him. 

"What?" he asked like it was nothing. 

"You're mean."

"And you're the one to talk."

"Well, I have to go to home. I don't want to make my mother mad. Seeya!" Boruto shouted and left the table. This whole situation was really uncomfortable for him. 

"So do I" Iwabee informed and disappeared as well. They left these three alone and Inojin was close to losing his temper. 

"I think it's time for me to go. It's late and my team will be pissed off."

"Want me to see you off?" he asked, looking at him with soft look. 

"No, I will be alright. So... Goodbye" he said sadly. He really wanted to stay with that boy. He has never met someone like him. 

"Don't say goodbye. See you soon" he said with a pure smile. "Remember to take care of the flower" he reminded. 

"I will" he answered and left the restaurant. As soon as he did that, Inojin felt kinda sad which was visible on his face. 

"You gave him a flower."

"What's your problem for the god's sake?" he asked angrily. 

"I will take you home. Come on" he said as he stood up and took the trays. The blonde just went with him. When they were outside, he put his hands into pockets and looked up in the sky. "I was worrying. I'm glad that you're safe."

"Thanks, I guess" he replied, looking in the different direction. 

"I don't trust him" 

"But I do. He's a really amazing person. I feel it. Besides, you don't even know him."

"Neither do you. You spent with him one week and you think you know him? You always say that I'm the naive one but you-" 

"Cut it out, lazy ass. You have no rights in saying all these things since you were able to leave me and Chocho for criminal who is in the jail. So shut the fuck up and let me live my own life."

"I care about you more than anyone."

"That's not true. I am the one who take care of you and chubs. I'm always there for you and you prefer spending time with Team 7. Are you jealous that I have a friend?" 

"You don't even know how he looks like."

"And I don't care. I like him and don't you dare saying shit about him."

"Whatever" he sighted and walked away when he noticed that his house was near. He really felt jealous of him. He got used that Inojin always cared about him the most. They have been so close since they learned how to walk. He didn't like the idea of Inojin having other friends. And when he found out that he gave him a flower... He grew mad. When they were kids, Inojin gave him a Daisy. It was so important for him that he decided to dry it and keep it. He never threw that flower away.  
Yes, he was jealous. 

Inojin entered the house, greeting his mom and went upstairs to reach his room. He wanted to cry. He already missed Araya and was really pissed of because of Shikadai's unusual behaviour. Ino noticed that and came to his son to cheer him up. 

"Honey, what happened?" she approached him. He was laying on his stomach, so she rubbed his back. 

"I miss him" he said simply and raised up. 

"I'm so sorry. You know that he has his own duties in his own village. He couldn't stay with you."

"I know."

"I'm sure you two will be friends no matter what. The bonds are stronger than you think" she said, smiling towards him. She remembered her friendship with Sakura and bond between whole team 7. 

"I hope so. Next time I'm gonna visit him and make sure he took care of flower."

"Did you give him a flower?" blonde woman asked and Inojin nodded. She just smiled. 

"He'll take care of it for sure" Ino assured her son and kissed him in the forehead. 

That gift was really precious for Araya.


	7. Chapter 7

It was an another day without that masked boy. Inojin felt really misery and empty. His teammates were hanging out with Team 7 and others, his father was practicing with his own team and his mother was at the work all the time since she was in charge of Konoha Barrier. He was all alone in his family's flower shop. At least, there were plenty people over there recently, who wanted to buy some flowers and pots, so he didn't feel that lonely. Yet, it didn't make him happier. Inojin didn't know what was that. He has never missed someone in this way. Usually, when his parents were at the work or on a mission he didn't care that much. Of course, he was worried that something bad could happen to them but it was normal. This time he wasn't himself at all. He just wanted that boy to be with him. He already knew something about love but he couldn't relate it with his own feelings. In his opinion he was too young to experiance such things and there was no way that he could fall in love with a boy. He often questioned his sexuality but for him it was all about his young age. Even though he felt more attracted to the boys than the girls and find their bodies more attractive, he didn't want to admit, that he is probably different than his peers. Even now, when he was sitting all alone, he recalled his visit to the Hot Springs with Araya and he felt his heart beating increased. Suddenly, Inojin heard someone entering, so he quickly straightened himself up, ready tu serve the client. He was surprised to see one of his friends there. 

"Shikadai? What are you doing here?" he asked confused. 

"I thought you may feel better if I come and visit you at work. Your mom told mine that you are depressed because of that Sand Guy" he explained and approached the blonde boy. "Do you have a fever? Your face is all red" he noticed and put his hand on the other's forehead. 

"What? No! I was just... It's too hot here" he replied immediately, taking a step back. He was so embarrassed, so he hid his face behind hands. "I'm not depressed because of him! I am just tired, I guess."

"Inojin, you can lie to everyone but me. You know that nobody knows you like I do. So?" 

"I... It's not like I miss him or something!"

"I didn't say that" he said and Inojin grew incredibly red. "I will be visiting my uncles soon. I can ask my mom if you can join us" 

"Really?" he asked cheerfully. "I thought you dislike him."

"I do. I don't want to see your sadness. That's all" he looked in the other direction. 

"Huh? You can be really cute sometimes, ya know?" He rested his elbow on the table and supported his chin with hand. 

"I can't say if that's a complement or not" he said watching all the flowers avoiding the eye contact, so that the blonde boy couldn't notice his light blush. 

Of course, Shikadai didn't really like that boy. He didn't want to share his best friend with him. He realized how Inojin felt, when he was hanging out with Boruto. It was hard for him to admit that he was the one who made him feel useless and misery. All of them were childhood friends because of their parents. Inojin was one of the most specific kids he knew and maybe this is why he was struggling with making friends. Because of his unusual character's features, they didn't get along in the beginning but with the time they grew really close to each other. There was nothing unusual in his actions. He just wanted to spend some time with him, even if he had to deal with Araya. Besides, they have never been to the Sunagakure together. It was his chance to make his friend forget about the masked boy and focus on him. He didn't even think about how selfish his behaviour was. The jealousy took control over his mind. Or it was just another amazing plan coming to his head. 

"Shikadai" he called his name, forcing the boy to turn to him. "Do you want to go out with me?" he asked shyly.

"Huh? Of course, I do. Since you asked so nicely" he smiled at the blonde. "When do you finish?" 

"In two hours."

"Fine. Want me to help you?" 

"Not really. We both know that flowers don't like you and with your attidute clients won't be satisfied." Inojin laughed recalling a situation, when he gave him a Daisy and it lived only two days. He stood up and put his hands on the other boy's back and started walking towards the doors. 

"That was offensive. Well, I'm surprised that people still coming to your shop. The service is really rude. " he sighted with a grin. "My, my. And now you're just throwing away a client."

"Yeah, see you later." He ignored him and returned to the desk. 

He was waiting for customers, so that he could to focus on the work and let the time pass. He was impatient to hang out with Shikadai because they didn't have time for each other lately. He may act rude towards him but they both knew that it was his nature and Shikadai has never felt offended by his words. Their personalities were totally different and maybe this is why they could became a really good friends. Inojin has a tough character, he can get easily pissed of and often uses his sharp tongue but he can also behave propely while Shikadai doesn't care that much. People say that he is just lazy, so Inojin does, but the truth is that he find some things aren't worthy worrying or getting mad. He has always been too calm to care about his friend's negative words. It was really hard for something to get on his nerves. But Araya was able to do it. That boy literally annoyed him only by his presence. Shikadai already knew that it was a sense of jealousy and their relationship was its source. Yet, he has never felt like this way before but he surely dislikes that feeling. He couldn't let them grow closer. He couldn't let him take his dear friend away from him. He had to do something. 

~~

Meanwhile, in the Sand Village, Araya was watching carefully over the pot with a seed. He was clueless if it comes to flowers and the whole gardening thing, so he didn't know if he hadn't made any mistake. He was afraid that it won't grow. The boy was doing the same things as Inojin told him. He was watering it and making sure that it has enough sun shining but he wasn't sure if these conditions were good enough. That gift was really important to him. Araya promised that he'll take care of it. He didn't want to let Inojin down, so was doing everything he could. It made him absent-minded which had to be noticed by others. 

"You're watering it again?" Yodo asked, sitting behind him. "Why is that so important to you?" she crossed her legs, watching the boy standing by the windows.

"I got it from my friend" he replied, not even looking at the blonde girl. 

"You mean that boy from Konoha?" She raised her eyebrow. 

"Is that a problem?" he turned to her. 

"No. I've just never seen you like that before. You're acting unusual. You seem to be out of your mind. I mean... You don't think straight, can't concenrate on our missions and now... You're spending all days watching over that flower pot" she explained which left Araya speechless. She was right. "Maybe you fell in love with him" Yodo suggested with a smirk. 

"W-what are you saying? You are ridiculous" he said nervously. His hands were shaking and he could feel as his blush becoming darker. Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, so she couldn't see that. 

"Maybe I am. But you're the one who is pathetic, trying to ignore your feelings." The blonde stretched her arms and stood up. "Get rid of that or confess your love to him before you totally freak out. It's hard to cooperate with you if you are thinking about him all the time." She winked at him and left the room, leaving Araya absolutely confused.

"What was that?" he asked himself, looking through the doors she left open. Then he turned to the window. 

He couldn't admit that Yodo was right. Araya does have strong feeling towards that boy and he couldn't cope with them. He has never felt this way, so it was really difficult for him. He couldn't get enough Inojin's smile, small and gentle hands, beautiful, long hair, pale skin and that almost too femine body. He wanted to stay with him. Yes. All he wanted was to be close with him. But then he remembered Shinki's words, so he tried to forget that. He wasn't supposed to be in any relationship with others, especially with someone from outside. He wasn't allowed to. 

~~

After two hours Shikadai came to the flower shop to take Inojin for a walk. He felt nervous a little, because it was a long time since they hung out together last. He decided not to worry and act, so he entered the small building. 

"I'm sorry, we're closing" Inojin said, looking at the taller boy with a smile. "You can come and visit us tomorrow." 

"You're so troublesome" he mumbled, putting his hands behind head. 

"I've heard that before" he said, rolling his eyes. "You're no fun."

"Said a guy, who spends all days in the flower shop" he replied with a smirk. 

"Said a guy, who spends all days on sleeping" he responded furrowing his eyebrows. 

"You get mad easily" he summed up. 

"I'm not mad at all. Yet" he said, scowling at him. Shikadai gulped because the blonde boy reminded him Aunt Ino. "We can leave now." He smiled innocently just like his father. "So where are we going?" 

"For a walk" he replied laconically. 

They both left the flower shop, closing it and went ahead. They were walking in the silent, which made Inojin annoyed. He was waiting for the other boy to say something, but Shikadai was still walking with his hands in the pockets. He seemed to be not bothered by his company. Well, it looked like he didn't care at all. 

"So you asked me for a walk but you're gonna be quiet all the time?" he asked, looking at him, which he couldn't see, because his eyes were closed. 

"There is no need to talk" 

"What? What do you mean? So what was a purpose of that? I'm already tired so if-" 

"Inojin" the dark-haired boy cutted his sentence. "Don't you remember? We used to enjoy sitting under the tree together in the past. We didn't have to say a word back then. It just felt nice to spend time with each other" he said and looked at him. "Just the two of us."

The blonde was really surprised by his words. He didn't expect that from him. 

"Of course, I remember. But it was long time ago. I thought we're going to have some conversation since we didn't have time for that lately."

"We can do it with others as well. But there is a few things that we can't do with them"

"So you asked me on a date?" Inojin joked, looking at him with a smile. 

"Call it as you want to" Shikadai replied lazily and closed his eyes again. 

Inojin just smiled softly, not taking eyes off the taller boy. He didn't even realized it, how much he missed that. Of course, he often recalled those times but he was sure that they won't be doing this again. And of course, he liked hanging out with Boruto and others but spending time only with Shikadai felt different. He kept silent, so that he wouldn't irritate the other boy. He actually knew, where they were heading to. He didn't even need to ask. 

They arrived to the place, where they used to spend whole days when they were younger. The boys sat by the river and started watching sunset. It was really beautiful, so Inojin could barely restrain himself from drawing it in the sketchbook he was carrying with him all the time while Shikadai laid himself on the grass. The blonde one looked at the other's face enlightened by golden rays. 

"What?" he asked, feeling Inojin's eyes on him. 

"Nothing. It just feels so good... To be here with you... Again" he replied quietly, and laid next to him. Now they both were just staring at this amazing sight in completely silent, until Inojin turned to the boy again. "I want to stay like this forever. Just you and me." He smiled, closing his eyes. It wasn't that empty, fake smile. It was a real and warm one. 

These words increased Shikadai's heart beating. He could swear that he felt those awful butterflies inside his stomach. Now he was the one, who couldn't stop looking at him. The blonde boy looked so pure. He decided to put his hand on Inojin's, and stare at the sky. He felt really happy. 

"Just you and me" he repeated his words, and closed his eyes as well. "Besides, you were the one who asked me on a date" he added and opened one eye, to see his reactions. 

"You called it a date" he noticed and turned his head to looked at the dark-haired boy. "Is it normal for best friends to go on dates?" 

"I don't know. You called it like that first" he sighted. 

"But you don't seem to dislike that name." He smiled proudly. "Well, I don't care if this is okay or not. I'm enjoying it."

"You're troublesome" Shikadai said clenching his fingers on Inojin's hand. 

They should make a habit of it. 

Is that something that friends would do?


	8. Chapter 8

The night has come and Inojin started wondering if it's great idea to visit that boy in his village. He was glad that he could go there with Shikadai and his mom but at the same time he felt incredibly unsure. What if Araya won't be happy to see him? What if he and Shikadai will be mean to each other? There were too many questions with no answers, which made Inojin stressed. He has never been to Sand Village before. He didn't even know, how it looks like. It was kinda exciting but also frightening. He hasn't got any family over there or any mission. Is that fine to visit that place just to see his friend? He hoped it is. To avoid those irritating thought, he wanted to fall asleep but he failed each time he tried. He was thinking about different stuff but mostly Shikadai. Their relationship has become weird and uncomfortable a little. They are friends but don't behave like ones. They often hold their hands, spending most of the time together. Inojin refused to believe that there is something more between them. Of course, he liked him more than others and felt really comfortable around him but he was almost sure that he doesn't have any stronger feelings towards him. These boys are close but is that everything you can say about them? They are still kids, so many things are incomprehensible for them.

He sat on the windowsill and started staring at the moon. He painted it so many times but each time it felt different. Watching the sky in the night is one of things he does when he feel nervous or overwhelmed. That's why all of his paintings have another meaning and another feelings. He enjoys it. Maybe it's unusual hobby for ordinary people, but he was an artist. He needed some inspiration. He had to express himself no matter what those people say. Although he didn't care about what others think about him. He wanted to be happy and that's all. 

There were so many flowers and paintings in his room. He even kept his low quality drawnings he used to draw when he was younger. He thought that they were terrible and wanted to throw them away but thanks to Himawari and his dad he understood that they are more precious than any painting of the sky he painted recently. Those shaped him as an artist and let him share his arts and feelings inside of them with others. Now, when he uses drawnings in a fight, he recalls those times with nostalgia. Why has he that many flowers as well? The answer is simple. He find them really pretty. Moreover, they are really important in his Clan. Not only has his family their own flower shop but also is strongly connected to them. His mother told him he will become as beautiful and strong as Cosmos one day and his love, care and affection towards his friends can describe him as a Yamanaka Clan symbol, Bushclover. Yes, he is quite sentimental. He takes a lot after his mother. What a perfect mix of his parents. 

In the morning he felt really weak. It could be caused by overworking or not getting enough sleeping, so he ignored those symptoms and got ready for the journey. He packed his bag day before, so that he wouldn't be bothered by that. He ate breakfast and said goodbye to his father, who was leaving to work. His mother decided to see him off. She was holding the tears. Inojin wasn't that baby boy anymore and she couldn't stand the thought that one day he will became a Clan Leader, independent shinobi. She was really proud of him, yet so sad that he is growing up so fast. She squezzed him so tight before he got on the train. 

"Have fun, guys", she said, waving her hand. "Temari, please, watch over my son. He can be really unbearable." 

"Don't worry. If I can deal with my son, yours won't be a problem" she answered with a smirk. 

"My mom is so embarrassing", Inojin sighted, taking a seat. "She was nearly crying."

"There is nothing embarrassing about her behaviour. You're growing up faster than others at your age. You inherited her responsibility which makes you really reliable person. To be honest, I'm glad that Shikadai has you as a best friend", Temari said with a serious tone, staring at the boy. 

Inojin was ashamed by that unexpected compliment. He didn't know what to say, so he decided to remain silent. 

"Well, I'm glad as well. It's great to have someone like that by your side. It makes life better and less troublesome" he added, smiling at the blonde boy. 

"Shikadai..." he mumbled, looking at him and the other one just winked. 

"We will be there in three hours. Inojin, say, why did you want to go with us? Is that because of Araya? I heard about your mission together. So?", she asked, crossing her legs. She was still watching him carefully, so that she could read everything from his face expression. 

"N-no. I mean not only because of him. I have never been to Sand Village before" he replied, blushing lightly. 

"I understand. Well, I hope you will behave propely. I don't want you to shame my family."

"I-I will" he stuttered, feeling fear caused by his friend's mother's glaring. 

"Good then." She smiled, closing his eyes. Temari could be as scary as his mother or even scarier. 

"Mom, you're talking to Inojin. There is no need to worry" Shikadai said, placing his hands behind his head.

"I know. But I can't forget that he is Sai's son. Do I have to say anything more?"

The boys laughed quietly, so did Temari.

Of course, Sai was really good person. Yes, he had a horrible past, but he now has a loving family and friends. He had suppressed almost all of his emotions when he was at Inojin's age. Because of his lack of them and social akwardness he had some difficulties with understanding people's emotions and making friends. He was often speaking without considering his words and their effects on people. This was due to his inability to realise the difference between a rude statement and a true statement. Though, he didn't intend to hurt anyone. With the time, he learned much about people feelings but his capabity to offend others didn't disappear. What is more, Inojin seemed to have similar problem. Fortunately, he was Ino's son as well, so he knew how to behave propely. 

"As you know, Lord Kazekage is my younger brother. Because of that we can't let something ruin our reputation" she explained. 

"I know that. So you are royal family, right?" 

"Kinda. It's troublesome but we can't change it." Shikadai streched himself and yawned. 

Inojin just smiled and looked through the window. He felt jealous a bit. His family was the ordinary one. Even Chocho has a family in Cloud Village while he doesn't have any other family than his parents, who didn't have enough time for him. They both are in charge of important organizations.

"Is something wrong about it?" Shikadai glanced at him. 

"No. I'm just wondering how does it feel like... To be someone important."

"What do you mean by that? Your family is one of the most important ones in Konoha."

"I don't think so, to be honest." The blonde gave him a soft smile. He knew that he just wanted to cheer him up. 

"But I do. Your mom is probably best Sensor alive and your dad is amazing shinobi though. You are running your family business, the best flower shop in the Konoha" 

"I'm sick of being the flower boy. You can't imagine how does it feels, when others are mocking you because of that stupid shop and mother's genes" he almost yelled at him.

"Well, to be honest, you're mocking others as well" he laughed, but the other boy didn't react. "You can't blame your mother. You should be grateful that you could got her genes. Thanks to it, you are prettier than others" he said with a smile. "Yet, it doesn't give you a right to make fun of someone's appearce. You should restrain yourself sometimes" he sighted, scratching his neck. 

That was true, Ino was regarded as the most beautiful woman in Konoha and it was easy to distinguish her son, since he looks just like his mother. He has a really high self-confidence. Inojin considered himself as the most beautiful and handsome one among his peers. He was called by others as a Pretty Young Man. 

Hearing her son's words, a smile appeared across Temari's face. She remained a silent, but she was really proud of him. His desire to cheer his friend up was really nice. Shikadai is better person than her, when she was at his age. She was glad that he didn't make her mistakes. He cherished his friends from the very beginning. 

"I will restrain myself only if you stop being lazy" he said, staring at the other boy. 

"I guess, there is some things that you can't change." He laughed nervously. 

"That's enough" Temari said, cutting their dialogue, which made them straightened up. "I don't want you to argue during our visit. If I hear a word-" She glared at them.

"W-we understand" they answered immediately in fear. That blonde woman could be really scary. 

They both were afraid to say a word. It was normal for them to have such converstations but they didn't want to annoy her. They were unusually kind to each other for the rest of the way. That was really difficult for Inojin, who wanted to punch the other boy multiple times. He easily loses his temper, which he inherited from his mother. Yet, he used to behave like that towards Chocho or Boruto. Why did he became so nervous around Shikadai? Why did he started to tease him so often? 

They arrived in the afternoon and were greeted by Kankuro. He was surprise to see Inojin there. He already knew, why he came along with them but still, he didn't expect to see that boy so soon. 

"You're lucky. Shinki's team doesn't have any mission today." He winked, smiling to the blonde. 

"What do you mean, old man?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He wanted to add something but Shikadai covered his mouth with a hand, knowing that would piss his mother off. 

"What a bad attitude. Nothing unusual that Temari praises you so often" he huffed. "I'm sorry for you" he said, leaning to Shikadai, who just laughed but quickly stopped, feeling both blondes glaring at them. 

"Are we going to stand over there whole day or will you lead us to our apartment?" 

"You know the way" Kankuro replied, rolling his eyes, but then Temari gave him another agrily look, so he lifted his hands. He knew there was no way he could win. "Fine. Let's go then."

That place was really impressive. The building was rather big, and good looking. In the garden were surprisingly many flowers. They were in bad condition but it should be obvious. Sand storms can't affect in a good way on any plant. 

"The flowers are almost dead" Inojin noticed. "I can take care of them, if you want me to. It would be a pity to let them die. They are really beautiful and deserve to live" he knelt by them to take a close look and touch the leaves and stems."

"We have our gardeners. They will do it" Kankuro said, observing the boy. 

"Well, they don't seem to be good at their job, do they?" He looked up to him, and smiled. "What a shame for someone who hired those people to watch over Royal family's garden. They are hopeless" he sighted and stood up. 

"Listen up, you brat-" 

"Kankuro" Temari cutted his sentence. "He is right. That kid is running his family's flower shop, so he knows his stuff. You should fire them."

He just sighted and enter the building. 

"And Inojin," she said, making the boy looked at her. "You are too rude. I know that flowers are important to you, but try restrain yourself."

"I'm sorry" he said quietly, and looked down on the plants, before he joined to the others inside. "I wonder if he still has that Daisy I gave him."

"Leave your bag there. You will share a room with Shikadai" Temari said, poining on one of the doors. He just nodded and did as he was told. When entered, he blushed immediately. There was only one bed. "Does that mean I have to sleep with him?" he asked himself. 

"Is something wrong?" Shikadai, who was standing behind him, asked. Inojin nearly choked because he didn't notice his presence. 

"N-no. I'm hungry, that's all" he lied. 

"So am I. We're going to eat out. Come on" he took his hand and left the room. The blonde boy felt really hot. He didn't understand why. When they were toddlers they used to sleep together sometimes. They were too young to remember that, but thanks to their parents, they could see that in the photos they took. Maybe this is why Shikadai didn't care this much. 

They all went to restaurant placed near their apartment. They served fat meat, which Inojin truly hates. He ordered himself potatoes, but he was just staring at his plate. He had his head in the clouds. He rested elbow on a table and supported his head with hand. Adults were busy their own conversations but his unusual behaviour didn't go unnoticed by his friend. 

"You're not eating?" Shikadai raised his eyebrow.

"I'm not hungry" he replied, not even looking at him. 

"But you've just told me that you are" he said, gaving him suspicious look. "You were lying" he accused. 

"I lost my apetite." He rolled his eyes, trying to avoid another quarrel. 

"I know you are lying. I wonder why" he sighted and focused on the meal. 

Inojin wasn't himself at all. He was struggling with trivial things. His mental and physical conditions were rather bad. He experianced lack of apetite and because of being overwhelmed by overthinking he couldn't act normally. 

"Excuse me, I need to get some air" he said as he stood up. Temari was confused by that but gave him a right to leave the table. 

He left the building. He noticed small bench nearby the restaurant, so he started walking that way. His vision was all blurry and he didn't know, what was happening. Suddenly, he saw a person right in front of him. He almost bumped into him. That guy was taller than him, so he had to look up. He recognized that mask. It was him. So close... Inojin felt so dizzy and soon after that he fainted and was caught by Araya. 

In the same time, Shikadai, who was worried about his friend, went after him to check if he was fine. He was really surprised to see him in that boy's arms. It made him pissed off. He ran to them, and took Inojin away from him. 

"What did you do to him?" he asked angrily.

"I didn't even say a thing" Araya replied immediately. He was worrying about him as well. He would never do something bad to that boy. 

"Stay away from him" he hissed. 

Araya was going to say something, but Inojin slowly opened his eyes. Both boys leaned to him, watching him carefully, which made the situation really awkward. The blonde one felt so embarrassed, his all self-confidence was washed away, as he pushed them off. 

"You're too close! What are you up to?!" He furrowed eyebrows, blushing madly. 

"Did he hurt you?" Shikadai asked with a serious tone. 

"Of course not, you dumbass. Do I look like someone who can be beaten by him?" 

"He actually beaten you up, though..." the brown-haired boy thought. 

"Don't even say that!" he yelled at him, knowing what he was thinking. Shikadai just gulped. Hanging out with someone from Yamanaka Clan could be troublesome. 

"Y-You fainted right after you saw me" Araya said quietly. 

"That was because of your ugly mask!" he screamed at him, and turned away as he was going to return to the building. He was too ashamed to stay there. 

"Calm down. You've just fainted" Shikadai said, and took his hand, so he couldn't move further. Araya noticed that and felt his heart aching. Does that mean that the boy he liked was actually in love with someone else? 

"So what?" 

"So as a medical ninja you should know that you mustn't move so sudden."

"Whatever" he mumbled, staring in the ground. 

"I will leave you now. It was great to see you here. Enjoy your stay" said Araya and walked away. 

"Well... Let's go back before my mother gets mad." 

Shikadai was still holding his hand. It was so warm and nice. His hand was bigger than Inojin's, who wished he could hold his and all the time. He really liked that and Shikadai didn't want to let him as well. He wanted to protect him at all cost, even though he knew he didn't need to. 

"You should eat something. You don't look well" he said, looking at the shorter one. 

"I'm still prettier than you" Inojin replied, smirk appeared on his face. 

The other boy just laughed. He was glad that he had his friend back. Although his comments were rude and he was quite savage, he liked him in that way. The only thing he was worried about was his health issues. 

Meanwhile, Araya was walking home. He didn't expect to see the blonde boy in his village. What is more, he was surprised by his behaviour. That boy was even more nervous and annoyed than before. The relationship between him and Shikadai made him curious as well. He wasn't going to confess Inojin his feelings but it hurt to see him with someone else. Is this love or just a pure jealousy? Araya didn't know. It was too much for him. 

Yet, he hoped he would see Inojin soon.


	9. Chapter 9

After the meal they went on a sight seeing, to show Inojin how beautiful Sand Village really is. Shikadai was bored by that because he saw those places so many times, unlike his friend, who was amazed by beautiful views. He was truly enjoying it. He even decided to draw some of them in his sketch book. Thanks to that he will be able to recall those times when he will be older.  
When they all returned to the apartment, they were really tired. That day was really hard for Inojin. They didn't say anything Temari, so that she wouldn't be worried about him. She was too glad to see her brothers and boys didn't want to ruin her joy. They decided to keep the whole incident as a secret. There was no need to bother someone else. 

It was late in the night. Shikadai and Inojin were lying in one bed. It was quite small for too people, but they didn't have any other choice. They had to adjust to these conditions even if it was really uncomfortable. None of them was used to share a bed with someone and maybe this is why Shikadai was struggling with falling asleep. He was staring in the ceiling. His mind was flooded with the thoughts. He didn't know what to think about his relations with Inojin and his friend's unusual behaviour. He was also really worried by his health issues. Even though he was a medical ninja, he didn't care that much about himself. He wasn't getting enough rest and he was probably experienced eating disorder. His body became even more fragile than before and his eyes looked so tired. 

"Maybe he hasn't cured since his last mission..." he thought. 

Shikadai looked at the blonde boy. Inojin seemed to be asleep. He couldn't see his face because he was turned to the wall but his breath was so calm. He didn't take his eyes of him. He couldn't explain why but suddenly he felt incredible desire to touch the boy next to him. He couldn't resist and put his hand on the other's back. He was watching him carefully, afraid that it will wake the blonde up. He didn't notice anything, so he kept going. His hand was now on Inojin's waist. Shikadai bit his down lip, feeling his curved body u der his fingers. It was so fragile and slightly too femine for a boy. He lost control over his mind and pulled up his shirt, bringing himself closer to him. His hands were moving independently, attacking the other's waist and chest. 

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Inojin asked, causing Shikadai jolt. He turned to him, making him freezed by his glare. 

"I... I'm sorry" he managed to say. "I don't know..." The dark-haired boy took off his hands and laid on his side. He was so embarrassed by his actions that he wanted dig himself into a hole. 

"You don't know? Shikadai, for the God's sake... Answer me" he insisted, looking at him. 

"I've just told you. I don't know." Shikadai rolled his eyes. It annoyed Inojin, who took him by his shirt, forcing him to look right in his eyes. 

"Shikadai, are we still friends?" he asked with the serious tone. 

"Of course, we are. Why do you ask?" 

"You know... We are holding our hands, spending most of the spare time together and now... Nevermind, forget about what I said" he said and wanted to turn on the other side, but Shikadai took his hands. His eyes glistened, lips slightly opened.

"Do you... Like me? I think I do. I do like you" he confessed hesitantly. 

But Inojin truly didn't know, what feeling he had towards that boy. He really liked him but is that something more than pure friendship? He enjoyed spending alone time with him. His touch was so pleasant. When his arms were around him, squezzing him tightly, he felt so safe. His big hands were so gentle comparing to their size. They perfectly matched to Inojin's. His face was so handsome and looked really mature for someone at their age. On the other side was Araya. He really liked him as well. They were both artists and that mission and love for art brought them closer to each other. His insecurity was kinda cute and Inojin wanted to take care of him. They were totally opposite but it wasn't something bad. He didn't know how he looks like because he was wearing a mask all the time but he could remembered his beautiful body. He felt his cheeks becoming red as a tomato and his heart was beating so fast. But why is he thinking about him while he was with Shikadai?

"Can I know your answer?" he asked, approaching his face, which ashamed the blonde. 

"I-I don't know. I mean I like you a lot. You've always been by my side. But..." he said quietly, giving him a soft look. 

"But you don't like me in that way." 

"I didn't say that. I just don't know what do I feel anymore" he explained. 

"I feel the urge to kiss you" he said shamelessly and put his hands under head. 

"It doesn't sound like you" Inojin stated, trying to muse a confident smile, but the truth was that he felt embarrassed by those words. 

"Well, I think this is how you affect on me" he said and laughed quietly. 

"So?" The blonde looked at him shyly. "Are we gonna do it?" 

"Do what?" He raised his eyebrow. 

"Kiss, you dumbass." The blonde frowned and hit his arm. 

"Ah... Um... Only if you want to." He coughed. 

He has never kiss someone else before. When he was younger, his mother used to kiss him in the cheeks and forehead but it wasn't the same. Now he was older and was going to kiss his best friend right in the lips. He felt so unsure about that, yet so willing. 

"I think, I want to" he said and brought his face close. They smashed their lips shyly in a small innocent kiss but then it became more passionate and Inojin could feel other's hands trailing down his backside, so he quickly broke that moment. "Take your hands off me or I will rip them into the pieces. What are you up to? You are too fast, you pervert. That was our-" he was interrupted by the sudden, small kiss.

"Yeah. We're lying in the same bed, bodies stuck together, holding each other hands... I'm not the only one who is acting inproperly" he said, ignoring his anger, lying himself on his back again.

"You..." He glared at him with a furious blush. He was ashamed by the whole situation. They were just kids and it shouldn't have happened. It was too fast. But he enjoyed it. "I liked that" he admitted, smiling softly.

"I... I liked that too" he responsed, looking in the other direction. "We better go to sleep. I don't want to my mother get mad."

"She is sleeping" Inojin said, staring at him. "Are you going to act like nothing has happened?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. 

"No, I'm not. I just think you should get some rest. You fainted today, and you lost on weight."

"No need to worry. I will be alright." He smiled, feeling happy that he does care about him. "Hey, Shikadai..." he started, drawing the other's attention. "Are we still friends after that?" 

Shikadai looked at him, but he didn't know how to respond. Do normal friends behave like that? He was pretty sure that they don't. On the other hand, they were too young to understand some things. Is this love between them or are they just experiancing? It was too troublesome for him to think about those stuff. 

"Yes, we are" he said, giving him a smile and closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep. 

Inojin was looking at him for a while. Is that what he wanted to hear? They've just kissed and he could swear he felt some butterflies inside his stomach. The whole situation was really strange and he didn't know how to deal with it. Is that something that they call ripening? Are they growing up? 

In the morning Shikadai woke up first. He feel someone's weight on his chest. He needed a moment to realize what was happening. He stroked Inojin's head lightly, trying not to wake him up like before. He wanted him to get some rest, regenerate, so he didn't move himself and let the blonde sleep peacefully.  
After some time Inojin woke up as well. He lazily opened his eyes, not knowing, where he was. He felt so comfortable that he didn't want to get up but then he realized, what he was lying on and raised up to make sure what was that. 

"Oh, you finally woke up" he said with a smirk and Inojin immediately got up. He took a step back and sat on the edge of bed they were sharing. "Is everything okay?" 

"Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." he mumbled, gazing at the floor. 

"No problem. You were sleeping so peacefully and I didn't want to bother you. My mom is making a breakfast, we better get ready."

"What?" He turned to him. "She saw me like that?" he asked nervously, which made Shikadai laugh. 

"No, she didn't. She shouted out from the kitchen" he explained and stood up. "Come on, don't feel embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed!" he shouted, and stood right in front of him. He raised up his head, trying to look confident. 

Shikadai just smiled at the shorter and left the room to get ready. Inojin stared at the doors and slapped his cheeks, which were already red just from thinking about dark-haired boy, who seemed to be not bothered by the incident they had a few hours before. He just sighted and did the same thing as Shikadai, not wanting to get Temari mad. Soon they both were sitting at the table with her. 

"How was your night?" she asked, resting chin on her hand. 

"It w-was..." Inojin stuttered, recalling the whole situation. He could feel his cheeks burning again and looked at the other boy. "It was nice but Shikadai was snoring" he said, smiling evily. 

"Oh, he is just like his father. Sometimes I wanna slap him right in the face." She closed her eyes and raised eyebrows. 

"Who? Shikadai or Mr. Shikamaru?" he asked confused. 

"Both" Temari answered simply. 

Inojin just laughed nervously, since he didn't know, if she was joking or talking seriously. Then he looked at dark-haired boy again, who looked upset. 

"Well, I prefer snoring than drooling. You-" he couldn't end this sentence because Inojin just shoved food inside his mouth. 

"More eating, less talking" he ordered, glaring at him. 

"I'm going to Kazekage and his son's later. Do you want to join?" blonde woman asked. She gave them a right to choose just because Shinki had a though character. She knew it was possible for them to argue and she wanted to avoid such incidents. 

"Not really. It's too troublesome. Right, Inojin?" he repied, peeking at Inojin, who just nodded with his mouth full. 

"Shikadai, you should show some respect to your uncle. He hardly ever sees you. Gaara would be glad if you came to visit him from time to time."

"It's boring." He rolled his eyes. 

"Your mum is right. You should be grateful. You have loving family and wonderful uncles. Mine died when my father was at our age" he said, gazing at the empty plate. 

Sai told him almost everything about his childhood, including his adoptive big brother, Shin. From what he said, he was a really good person. Inojin's name was connected to his, to cherish him. The blonde boy felt really misery that he didn't even get a chance to meet him. Shin was a really important person in his father's life. He couldn't even imagine, how he felt when he lost him. That's why he was pissed off by Shikadai disrespectful behaviour. 

"But you've already agreed with me" Shikadai said, giving him a confused look. 

"Yes. I promised to take care of the flowers, so I better do it today. Besides, I'm not a part of your family, so I shouldn't get involved. It would destroy your moment" he explained. 

"Don't you dare to say that. You both were growing up together. I feel like we are one big family" Temari said, giving him a soft smile. She knew very well, how awful past Sai had. She knew everything about Root. Good thing, that it doesn't exist anymore and Inojin could have a normal childhood.

"But the flowers..." he mumbled, slightly embarrassed. Temari was really good person after all. She may yell at you or slap your face, but she does it because of love and affection. Sounds ridiculously but that's the truth. She was a really good person. 

"Don't worry. You can take care of them later. You don't want to get me mad, do you?" she asked, and her smile looked so scary. 

Inojin gulped, seeing that. "O-okay. I'm going with you."

"Troublesome... Will they be there too? Uncle Kankurou and his team" Shikadai glanced at his mother. 

"Probably. Anyway, I'm going to do the shopping now. I have to buy some products, so that we can make a dinner at Gaara's place. Behave" the blonde said and stood up. "Shikadai, clean up the dishes" she ordered. Seeing his face expression, she frowned. "Don't make me use it" she warned, pointing on her giant fan, so her son just raised his hands. 

"Fine" he sighted and took empty plates from the table. 

"I will be back in two hours, I think. If something happens, you know, where to look for me" she said and left the building. 

"Your mom is so nice and funny when she doesn't yelling at others."

"Same about yours but you can agree she isn't as strict as mine" he replied, focusing on the dishes. 

Inojin recalled his trainings with his mother. She was scary and easily lost her temper. Moreover, she could be really mean and looked down at him. He remembered when because of his training she fell out with his father. Shikadai was lucky that Shikamaru was calm and didn't care this much, unlike his dad, who sometimes behaves just like his mother. Ino may seem to be pretty and nice woman, but he was really strong and independent. She often punishes Inojin with no mercy or just scolds him off. He couldn't point out, which one of them was worse. Both were probably the scariest mothers in the Konoha. 

"Well, but you're lucky to have so cool dad. Mine can be really frightening."

"That's true" Shikadai laughed a bit. "But he is so kind and he is smiling all the time. To think that he is so strong..." he sighted and turned to the blonde after he finished cleaning. "My dad told me how they both meet."

"Really? Don't tell me he attacked him" he shook his head. 

"Exactly. He attacked him, Chocho's dad and Lord Seventh as well" he laughed, seeing Inojin facepalm. "They couldn't even catch him. My dad told me that he was even stronger than Seventh, when they were teenagers."

"It's weird that they became friends after all. My dad is weird. He even fought against my mum! How can you call someone like that. Well, he claims he wasn't himself and she saved him, but-"

"He fought against Aunty Ino?" he asked really concerned. "Why?" 

"I don't know. He told me he had some problems, the darkness took control over his mind and Yamanaka Clan technique, her Mind Transfer Jutsu saved him. That's why I wanted to master that, so that I would be able to help you" he explained, looking in the other direction, smiling with light blush. 

"Wow, I didn't know that. Well, I can assume that you are perfect mix of your parents. Such a mean, savage brat who may seems innocently but bites all the time." 

"Good thing that I am not as lazy as you." He shrugged and got up from the table. "I'm going to take care of the flowers now. It may be too late for them later, since they are almost dead already. Feel free to help me." He winked at him and went to the garden. 

At first, Shikadai didn't want to join him, but after some time he decided to take a look, what he was doing. He was surprised to see that he was using a ninjutsu for something like that. 

"Why are you using a medical ninjutsu? Isn't that a waste of chakra?" he asked, sitting himself on the stars, leading to the garden. Inojin shook his head. 

"I'm healing them. They are in a really bad condidion. Fortunately, they're cooperating with me. They want to live" he said, looking at the plants. They looked much better than before. "And you came here to help me, right?" he asked but didn't give him a chance to answer. "Then bring me some water and pots." 

"Actually, I-"

"Now" he cutted his sentence. Although he smiled, he looked scary, so Shikadai gave up. It was great example of his similarity to both of his parents. Dangerous. 

They seemed to forgot about their kiss and were acting so natural like absolutely nothing has happened.  
But they didn't. Not Inojin.  
He still remembered the feeling of Shikadai's kiss on his lips. The touch of his gentle hands all over his body. He wanted more.  
But he was just a kid. He shouldn't think about such stuff. 

With Shikadai's help, he was able to save all the flowers on time, before Temari came back to the apartment. She was impressed by the way they looked because she has never seen them in such good conditions. She knew that Inojin was good at gardening but she didn't expect that it will look so beautiful. 

"Good job" she praised him. "They are beautiful, thank you."

"No problem. Shikadai helped me a lot." The blonde boy smiled cheerfully. 

"Really?" Temari asked, raising her eyebrow, when she looked at her son. "You have a good influence on him. Too bad that he doesn't help this much at home." She frowned, keeping eyes on Shikadai. 

Inojin laughed quietly, seeing the other's embarrassment. Shikadai didn't even say a word and laid on the couch. 

"What do you think you are doing?" she asked angrily. "It's late. We're leaving soon, so get ready" she yelled, pulling his ear, forcing him to stand up. 

The young Yamanaka almost burst with laugh, but fortunately he restrained himself on time. 

After some time they arrived to Kazekage's place. It wasn't as big and beautiful as Inojin imagined but it was nice for sure. They were greeted by Gaara who led them to the dining room. Inojin almost freezed, seeing the whole Kankuro's team sitting at the table. He looked at Araya with a light blush. Next to him, Yodo was smirking at her teammate, who felt really nervous. The blonde had to sit right in front of the masked boy with Shikadai on his left side. He could see that the Nara wasn't pleased to see that guy. The whole situation was so awkward that Inojin wanted to run away.  
Adults were busy with each other. Nothing unusual, since they haven't met for a while and they had so much to tell. Unlike the kids, who remained a silent. 

"Inojin, I heard you've improved" the blonde girl started, still smirking. "Araya told us about your mission. You did great."

"Y-yeah" he stuttered. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "I mastered my Clan's techniques. Thanks to them I don't have to rely only on the Super Beast Scroll."

"Hmm, that's cool. Don't you think, Araya?" She glanced at him. 

"Y-you're right."

Shinki was watching them in the silent. He was so clueless if it comes to feelings, so he didn't even noticed anything. He was just curious about his teammates' unusual behaviour and he was surprised to see Inojin here. 

"Why did you visit us?" he asked. 

"Shinki" Yodo called him, furrowing her eyebrows. "Excuse him, he didn't mean to be rude."

"No worries. Inojin can be worse than that" Shikadai said and laughed quietly, gaining the blonde's glare. 

"I just wanted to visit that place. I have never been to Sand Village before. Is that a problem?" He raised his eyebrow. 

"No" he gave him a short answer and focused on the meal. He wasn't interested in having a conversation with him since he regarded him as a weak and useless person. Even though Inojin has improved his skills since Chuunin Exam, he refused to show him any respect. 

Seeing Shinki's disrespectful behaviour towards him, he frowned. Yodo sensed that tense atmosphere and decided to do something about it. 

"So how long are you going to stay here?" 

“For a week. We arrived yesterday" Shikadai replied. 

"Oh, that's cool. Do you want to hang out with us tommorow? We will show you some interesting places" the girl offered, smiling cheerfully. 

"Why not" Inojin answered and looked at Shikadai who didn't seem to like this idea. "Why are you so grumpy? You look dumb" 

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes.

They had a good time. Temari and her brothers were drinking alcohol which caused them laugh a lot. They recalled the times when they were kids. They didn't had a beautiful childhood, but at least they were together, loving and caring about each other. They werd also telling some situations from their early adulthood, while the kids were talking on various topics. Inojin seemed to got along with Yodo. She was such a nice and beautiful girl. Inojin found her to be really cute but he wasn't really attracted to her. Though, he could swear he has never met such a beautiful girl, so he called her "Bijin-san", which made Yodo blush. In her eyes, he was really handsome as well but she didn't admit that, knowing what feelings her teammate had towards him. Both Shikadai and Araya were quite jealous by that, but they didn't showed it. They were just watching them along with Shinki, who didn't care at all. 

It was already late. They all decided to end the whole meeting. Yodo's parents picked her up. They were standing in front of the Gaara's house, waiting for Shikadai, who had to use a toilet before they left. Kankuro wasn't able to see Araya off because he was too drunk, so the masked boy had to come back to home on his own. 

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Temari asked worried. "That irresponsible drunkhead..." she huffed, clenching her fist.

"Don't worry. My house is nearby. I will be alright."

"Okay then." Temari gaved him a soft look, knowing that he doesn't have any close family. "I forgot my purse, I will be right back."

There was an awkward silent between the boys for a while. 

"So..." Inojin started, looking at the other shyly. "We will see each other tomorrow, huh?" He smiled gently. His nose was all red because of the cold air. He was wearing his casual clothes, so it wasn't weird that his entire body was trembling. He wasn't used to such a low temperature. 

"Yes... I can't wait" he replied quietly. He noticed Inojin was shaking, so he decided to take off his coat and cover the other's body with that. "Nights are really cold here. You shouldn't wear such exposing clothes" he said, wrapping him tighter. It was way too big for him. 

"B-but what about you" he asked with a blush. 

"I'm used to it. I will be alright. See you tomorrow." Araya walked away. He was proud of himself. He couldn't believe that he was able to behave so confident and manly. 

"Y-you dumbass.." Inojin smiled to himself, holding the coat he gave him. It was so warm and cosy. He could feel his smell, which was really pleasant. 

Finally, Shikadai and his mother came to him, so that they could return to the apartment. The dark-haired boy was upset seeing Inojin in a good mood with Araya's coat on his arms. He was truly pissed off. 

"Why do you have his coat" he asked angrily. 

"I was cold" he replied simply, ignoring his anger. 

Temari just smiled softly and remained a silent. 

When they came back, the blonde woman went to sleep right after that. The boys occupied their room, sitting on the bed they shared. Shikadai couldn't stand the thought that his best friend were that close to the other boy. He was so mad about that which was easy to notice. 

"Are you jealous?" Inojin asked him quietly. 

"Why? I'm not."

"Yes, you are. 

"No, I'm-" He turned to him. His face was way too close to his. He gulped and looked right in those beautiful eyes. He wanted to kiss him again but he knew he wasn't allow to and it wasn't a good idea, so he quickly looked away. 

"I don't think we are friends anymore" Inojin said with the sad look upon his face and laid himself on the bed. He closed his eyes as he going to fall asleep. 

Shikadai had the same expression on his face. He was staring at the blonde boy for a while before he decided to lay next to him. He was so afraid to lose his best friend. 

"Don't say that. I will be always here for you" he murmured, putting his hand on the other's. Inojin couldn't resist but smiled. He loved the feeling of Shikadai's hand. 

"Is that a promise?" he asked. 

"I promise" he replied, bringing their foreheads together. 

They fell asleep just like that. They didn't know if they were friends or something more. It didn't really matter. The most important thing was that they were together.


	10. Chapter 10

Inojin woke up first. Right after that he felt sick. His nose was running and he had a headache. He sighed, touching his forehead to make sure if it's what he thinks it is. And he wasn't wrong, he had a fever. The blonde boy looked at Shikadai, who was still sleeping. He smiled softly and got up, trying not to wake up the other. He took his clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He stripped himself and stood inside. Feeling of the warm water all over his body was exactly what he needed. He let his hair down and washed his face. When he closed his eyes he reminded that awkward situation between him and Araya. It was the moment when he realized that he has his coat. Even though he couldn't see himself, he knew he was blushing madly. Why does this boy make him feel in this way? What does that mean? He doesn't even know how his face looks like. It's all because that stupid mask! Why does he have to wear it all the time? Inojin really wanted to see it. He was sure that he was handsome. Even if he wasn't the blonde was already attracted to him. To be honest, his appearance didn't really matter.  
On the other hand, there was Shikadai. Inojin really liked him. They have been friends for a long time, after all. Is there anything more? Is something between them? Since they kissed he has begun to feel a little nervous around him. They've never been that close to each other before, but now... Why they did that? It could ruin their friendship! Well, it seems like they both are not as reasonable as they thought. But it wasn't bad. It was a good experience and it felt nice. Is that something which friends should be doing? Most likely no.  
After some time Inojin wipped himself and dressed up. He was staring at his own face in the mirror. 

"Why do I have to look like my mom?" he asked himself. 

Suddenly he heard knocking, which caused him to look at the door. 

"Are you still alive?" Shikadai asked. It sounded like he was impatient, so the other boy just let him in. He was going to leave the bathroom, trying not to look at him, but the taller grabbed his wrist. "Is something wrong?" 

Inojin didn't know why, but he started blushing.

"I-" he stuttered and leaned his head down. 

"Huh?" Nara looked at him confused and put a hand on Inojin's forehead. "You have a fever" he noticed, clearly worried. 

"I told you I was cold" he mumbled, looking away. 

Shikadai sighed and shook his head. Inojin always cares about everyone's health, but he neglects his own. He was such a good person.  
He leaned to him, lifted his chin up and brushed his bangs with fingers. 

"I like when you have your hair down" he whispered with a grin. 

It was enough to cause Inojin's face turn red. He immediately pushed him him away, making Shikadai laugh. 

"I-idiot! Shut up! Stop laughing or I will punch you in the face!" he screamed at him but it didn't work, so he just walked away. 

"I thought you were going to hit me," the taller boy said, still smirking. He didn't get an answer, so he entered the bathroom. 

Meanwhile, Inojin was sitting on the bed trying to calm himself down. It wasn't simple, especially, when he had Araya's coat right in front of him. He took it in his hands and laid down, squeezing it tight. 

"Why am I like this?" he sighed, covering his face with a soft material. 

He felt embarrassed by his own behaviour. Pathetic. He was drown in the thoughts and he didn't even noticed, when Shikadai came back to room. 

"What are you doing?" He raised his eyebrow, looking at the other boy, who was surprised by his presence. 

"I... I was... I wanted to check if I didn't dirt it. That's all," he lied and it didn't look like Nara believed in that. Fortunately, he decided not to ask any question more and handed Inojin his hairband. 

"You forgot it. I personally like you without it but I know you don't, so here you are." He smiled. 

"Thanks" the blond responded shyly and got up, so that they could make the bed. He could. He knew that Shikadai is too lazy to take care of it,so he did that on his own. 

"Let's make a breakfast. I'm hungry," he informed and went to the kitchen. Inojin followed him and sat at the table. "Ehh, it's troublesome... My mum is still sleeping. She isn't used to drinking alcohol, so she probably will feel sick. What a troublesome woman..." he complained, causing Inojin's laugh. 

"Let's make her a breakfast too," he offered with a pure smile. "I will do it. Please, take a seat. We both know that you're not good at cooking," he said and took a frying pan. 

"I can make a breakfast! It's not that hard," Shikadai was pouting. 

"I said take a seat," he repeated slowly, but he looked scary. He lifted his hand, holding a pan. 

"Are you going to hit me?" he chuckled. 

"Maybe," Inojin replied and Shikadai gulped. He smiled like his father and focused on the cooking. 

When it was done, they both sat at the table and shared the meal together. They didn't talk very much and the silence was really awkward for them. Fortunately, Temari entered the kitchen and broke that uncomfortable still. 

"You're not sleeping?" She seemed to be surprised, yet so sleepy.

"It's late," Shikadai said, resting his chin on his hands, causing the others to look at him with a raised eyebrows. "You overslept."

"You're the one to talk," the woman hissed and Inojin chuckled. "What's smells so good?" she asked and the blonde boy passed her a plate with food. She thanked with a smile and sat oppostie her son. 

"Mom, we're going to visit Shinki and his team today," Shikadai informed like he didn't need her permission. 

"Really? I'm glad that you finally got along," she said with a smile. Obviously, she wanted her son to befriend her brother's adopted son. There was nothing wrong with that. In spite of her cold character, she was a family person. 

"It wasn't my idea," he answered. 

She just sighed and kept eating.  
When all of them were done the boys left the house and went to the restaurant, where they were going to meet Shinki's team. 

"I don't get it. Why do you dislike your cousin so much?" Inojin asked, looking at the other, who was staring at the sky and seemed to be bored. 

"He's annoying," he replied. 

"But-" 

"We're not a family. He is Uncle Gaara'a adopted child. We're not related."

"You should try and talk to him. Maybe he will turn out to be a really good person," he was trying to convince him, but the other ignored him, which made Inojin sigh. "I wish I had a cousin..." he said after a while. 

Inojin was jealous a bit. He only has his parents and nobody else. He feels lonely sometimes. In his eyes Shikadai's behaviour was inapproporiate. He should be grateful but he clearly wasn't. 

They finally reached the place and were greeted by Shinki's team, who was waiting for them. They could see excitement in blonde's eyes. She was really happy to see them. It was kinda cute. 

"Okay, we will show you some interesting places! I hope Shikadai hasn't been there before," Yodo said cheerfully. 

"We will see," Shikadai yawned and followed her. The others did the same.

The girl was talking all the time, which surely was annoying for the Nara. Thankfully, he didn't say anything. He was even trying to look interested in that conversation. Inojin was amused by his face expression and chuckled quietly, when he noticed that he was walking next to Araya. He realised that he took his coat to return it to him. 

"Ah! I almost forgot!" he said suddenly, and gave it to him. 

The other boy was surprised by that and he refused to take it. Instead of that he covered him with that.

"Keep it. Like I said, evenings and nights are cold here and you're still wearing such exposing clothes." 

He was right. Inojin was wearing cropped hoodie, which wasn't a good choice for a weather in the Suna. In a fact, he shouldn't have said that in that way. 

"I'm not wearing exposing clothes!" he shouted, blushing slightly. 

"Yes, you are," he replied, smiling under the mask. His behaviour and attitude were adorable to him and he couldn't complain about his suit, since he was attracted to that boy. He was amazed by that view, his silhouette. He couldn't take the eyes of him. 

"What are you staring at, you perv?" he asked angrily, yet so confident. 

He wasn't angry though. 

"I-I'm not staring!" He immediately turned away, feeling embarrassed, which made Inojin laugh. He found it kinda cute. And it was, but not for Shikadai, who glared at them, which they didn't even notice. 

Inojin felt more comfortable with Araya, which made him angry and jealous. He didn't want to let that guy be that close to his friend. He didn't want to lose Inojin. He wanted to keep him for himself.  
Isn't that toxic? Probably yes. 

"Hey, Yamanaka," Shinki called, not even looking at him. "You aren't here because you wanted to visit our village, are you? You didn't even ask, where we're going and you don't seem to be interested in those views. You came here to visit Araya, am I right?" he peeked at him and the blonde didn't know what to say. He left speechless because of that sudden question. Was that so obvious? "How pathetic..."

Inojin clenched his fists, glaring at the Kazekage's son, who didn't seem to be bothered by that. He wanted to say or do something, but he was restrained by Araya, who put a hand on his arm and shook his head. After that he wasn't surprised, why Shikadai disliked his cousin so much. 

But that was true. He was pathetic. He had feeling toward two boys and he didn't know, what to do with that. He was trying to hide it but in wasn't successful. He was a coward. 

"Don't mind Shinki, he's always like this," Yodo said with a smile. She was a really nice girl after all. "I'm glad you're here. We're glad. Right, Araya?" She glanced at him and he nodded. 

What a question. Of course, he was. It was obvious.  
Inojin just gave them a weak smile and kept walking. Araya noticed that it was fake and he quickly realised that something was bothering him. He wasn't sure what it was. He could only wonder. Did Shinki's words hurt him? Most likely no. Maybe he hasn't know him for a long time, but he knew he wasn't that type of person. 

He was worried a little. 

"Are you alright?" he asked, but he didn't even expect an honest answer. 

He will talk with him later.  
In private.


	11. Chapter 11

They were sitting in a large, beautiful garden. Inojin was impressed with what it looked like. He hadn't expected such beautiful views in the Sunagakure. After all, this village was characterized by unfavorable conditions for the plants. He wanted to capture that moment on paper, but for some reason he gave it up. He wasn't in a mood. Being in the company of two boys, for whom he felt something more, overwhelmed him. Moreover, he couldn't even specify these feelings. He liked both of them very much, but it's impossible to fall in love with two people at the same time, right? Perhaps it was nothing more than a pure friendship? In that case, would he feel butterflies in his stomach every time he looked at both of them? Shinki was right, he was pathetic. The problem was that he didn't know tow to get rid of that. 

"Are you alright?" Araya asked, sitting down next to the blonde, who gave him a weak smile in a response. He didn't want to show anything, but it was inevitable. Brunet saw this and grimaced under the mask. "You don't look very well," he said, looking at him closely, making the lower one blush.

Since when is he so confident? What happened to that shy and nervous boy?

"Inojin caught a cold," Shikadai reported, sitting on the other side of him, as if he was guarding him.

Yamanaka put now red face in his hands. He could not bear their closeness. It was too much. Even though he was glad to finally see the masked boy again, he wanted to go home. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to visit them. Not now. Not when he doesn't know what he feels. 

"And that's why your belly is exposed?" Shinki asked with one eyebrow raised. "Let me guess. You were hoping that Araya will take care of you, weren't you?"

"S-shinki!" The masked boy stuttered with an embarrassment.

This guy should shut up. Nobody gets on his nerves like he does. Inojin shouldn't care about that, but it wasn't that easy. This time he didn't give up. He smirked and raised his head to look at him.

"Honestly... I thought you would take care of me," he laughed, crossing his legs.

That, ashamed him. The boy didn't know what to say and turned his back to him. They are unlikely to become friends. Brunet's embarrassment increased, when he heard Yodo's laugh.

"He clearly didn't expect that," she said amused and walked over to her friend. "Do not run away."

"Leave me alone. Are you gonna sit here like this, or are we going to do something useful?" he asked, peering at the rest out of the corner of his eye.

"For example? What do you mean?" Shikadai raised an eyebrow.

"Duel," he replied shortly.

"Did that offend you so much?" He laughed, looking at the blonde. "He's always like that. You'll get used to it," he said, then got up and approached him. "Besides, we don't have a chance against your team. We're only the two of us. That would be unfair."

"Araya and I against you two."

They had a little chance against them. After all, Inojin and Shikadai don't specialize in a direct combat. They both focus on intelligence and strategic tasks. This duel made no sense. Apparently, Shinki took pleasure in humiliating other's.

"So you want to fight the intelligence squad?" Inojin stood up and rested his hand on his hip. "Boldly."

"I've heard about your mission. You dealt with them. What are you afraid of?" He asked.

"Shinki, stop. You know very well what Lord Kazekage said. You should be more polite and not make problems. I'm not going to look at that. You're going to hurt yourself," the blonde interjected, looking at him seriously.

"Then leave," he said, not paying her attention. He was staring at the boys. That irritated the girl.

"I'm not going to waste my time or energy on something so useless. Especially Shikadai. He would probably prefer to take a nap at that time, right?" He looked at the taller, who was frowning. "Right?" he repeated the question, but the other didn't react.

"Let's do it," he said seriously, surprising Inojin and Yodo.

"You must be kidding," the younger one frowned, but Nara soothed him with a gesture of his hand.

"This is a great opportunity to check our progress. After all, we've both been training hard the recently. Besides, we're not fighting to the death. Take it as a normal training."

"Your mom will be furious, if she finds out," he reminded him, causing the other one to gulp.

"Exactly. Lord Kazekage won't be happy neither. Shinki, think about it" added the girl.

It seemed that Inojin and Yodo were the only sane and responsible people in this group. Meanwhile, Araya was watching the others passively. He didn't want to oppose Shinki, but he couldn't fight the blonde. He hoped that the brunet would calm down quickly and change his mind. 

"Tch," hissed Kazekage's son. Apparently, the thought of his angry father somehow influenced him. He even seemed to be frightened, and Yodo breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Shikadai decided to speak up. 

"Are you afraid of Uncle Gaara? Don't worry, we'll tell them it was just a training. So...?" he offered and Shinki lifted the corner of his mouth.

The girl looked at Inojin for some support. The boy sighed heavily and raised his hands, shaking his head helplessly. He glanced at Araya, who was also unhappy with that idea. Honestly, Inojin didn't want to fight. He was afraid of losing. He has already lost to him once. This time it may end similarly.

"So let's go somewhere we can do it," said Shinki and started walking in the familiar direction.

The rest followed him in a silence. Nobody knew what to say in this situation. It was definitely not meant to be regular training. The blonde walked over to Nara and grabbed his wrist, pulling him down. This height difference is really troublesome sometimes. 

"What are you doing? What are you trying to prove? Your thoughtlessness? I thought Boruto was so stupid. Despite your high IQ, you won with him," he growled, trying to be quiet, but his voice was rising higher with each word. Everyone could hear him.

His anger seemed terrifying to Araya. He has known him for some time and he preferred to avoid situations that might make the smaller boy angry. Perhaps, he was still too nervous to face such problems. He didn't know what to do. The thought of fighting Inojin was something he couldn't stand. How could he harm someone he has feelings for? On the other hand, it was just an anotrer trening, right? There is no need to be worried. He won't harm him and if he somehow would, Inojin will forgive him. He hoped so. 

They were on the battlefield. Yodo sat on the branch and she was watching them carefully. The boys positioned themselves, ready to fight. Shikadai was trying to catch Shinki with his shadow, but he failed, so he decided to do the same with Araya. 

"Inojin, Super Beast Scroll," he ordered, when he successfully caught him. 

How could he say no to Shikadai? But... How could he hurt Araya? He took a deep breath and did what he was told. Shinki was faster than his drawings. He protected his friend and destroyed those creatures. Kazekage's son was trying to hit Shikadai with his sand, but Inojin didn't let him. He used Mind Destruction Jutsu on him, causing him to stop his actions. 

"We can't win like this. Can we stop there? It's pointless," the blonde boy stated, looking at Shinki. 

He knew that Yamanaka developed his skills, especially these involving a mind, but he didn't expect that this boy can do that so quickly.  
Inojin made him put the kunai to the throat. He was furious. He hates loosing. 

"Shinki, give up. For real..." the girl was trying to convince him, but it was useless. He wouldn't change his mind so easily. 

He lost his temper and with that fury managed to break free from Yamanaka Clan's technique, which shocked the other boys. He was trying to hit Nara, but fortunately he dodged that, freeing Araya. 

Shikadai used wind release to disperse the sand. It wasn't good and strong enough, so he had to come up with an a other idea, which wasn't easy. 

"Shikadai, watch out!" the smaller shouted, but it was too late. He was hitted by the sand. It looked painfully. 

It wasn't a normal training. It was a regular fight.  
They really had no chance against his sand. Or maybe they had. Inojin reminded himself his practice with Ino. He was sure he could do that. 

"Shikadai, use the shadow again," he called out, surprising the other. 

"But it failed," he said, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"This time it will be okay. Trust me." He have him a genuinely smile, so Nara just sighed and agreed.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded like. He tried so hard, but Shinki was really strong opponent along with Araya. He understimated them as rivals. Of course, Shikadai knew that they aren't weak. He saw them on the exam, after all. He believed that he became much stronger, yet he forgot, that others most likely made a progress as well. Finally, after a while he managed to catch him one more time. It was their chance, they couldn't waste it. The taller boy didn't have to say anything, because Inojin immediately used his technique again. This time he didn't let him win against it.

"Shit. Again?" he said to himself angrily. "Araya! Are you going to stand over there or will you do something?" Shinki barely could look at the other, who didn't know, what to do. No. He knew very well. He didn't want to do it. "Knock him out," he ordered, and the masked boy clenched his fists. How could he? "Hurry up!" he screamed at him, so he finally moved.

He used his puppets to fight Shikadai, who was trying block it with a wind release, but he wasn't as good as his mum. One of his dolls managed to hurt Nara, who fell to the ground. After that he had to attack Inojin. The blonde was already on the verge. Blood was running down his nose. He couldn't last long using that jutsu. Seeing that, Araya was unable to hurt him and stopped right in front of him, which surprised Inojin. Shikadai took the advantage of that situation. He attacked him with shurikens, scratching his arm and incapacitated him.

Yodo was still watching them carefully. She knew that Shinki won't give up until he sees these two on the ground. She hoped that nobody's gonna get injured. In a fact, Inojin knows medical ninjutsu pretty well, but he can't treat himself.  
The girl smiled, when she saw Araya's unusual behaviour. He really liked that boy. He did't even try to hide it, even if he refused to admit that. It was cute. 

Not for Shinki, who got really mad. 

"Okay, that's it" Yodo said and stood between them.

Inojin released Shinki and laid on the ground. He was exhausted, unlike Kazekage's son, who was ready for another fight.

"So we won, didn't we?" the blonde asked.

"Yup," Nara responded with a smile. "Work on your strategy. It's hard to fight without any plans," he gave them a piece of advice, but it looked like they wasn't listening to him.

The atmosphere was pretty bad.

"Okay, let's go to the restaurant. You must be hungry after that," the girl said, smiling at the others.

"She's right. I'd love to eat something and take a nap," Shikadai took her side. "Shinki, hide your pride."

"I'm not hungry. I'll just come back home and get some rest," he replied and left them. They didn't try to stop him. He would't change his mind.

"Araya's injured," Inojin noticed and grasped his arm. "I will heal you," he said, putting his hand on the scratches. "I didn't bring bandages with me. I guess, you don't have any neither." He looked at the others and they shook their heads.

"M-my house is on this way," Araya informed, pointing the direction. "I will bring some."

"I will go with you," he stated. "We will be right back and join you." The blonde boy smiled, but Nara wasn't happy with that idea. He hated it. What could he do to make him stay? He didn't want to embarrass himself by showing his jealousy, so he unwillingly let him go.

"Okay, we will book the table and wait for you," she said cheerfully. 

*

After a while they reached Araya's flat. He let Inojin first and closed the door. The younger one looked around. It wasn't really spacious and it was cluttered with puppets, sculptures and drawings. He knew that Araya was an artist, just like him, so he liked that artistic disorder. It was kinda nice.

"Well, where do you hold bandages?" he asked quietly and Araya led him to the small kitchen. "Take off your coat and let me see your wounds closely," he said, so that he could treat him. The masked boy did as he was told. 

They were alone. That was a great opportunity.

"I can see that... You don't feel good. It's not only a cold, is it?" He looked at the smaller, who paused healing him.

"I'm fine," he lied and resumed the treatment. Araya didn't believe that and continued.

"You say so, but you don't feel so," he stated.

"Since when you're so talkative?" Inojin raised his eyebrow, as he looked up, trying to see his eyes. It was pointless, so he focused on healing. "It's done," he said with a smile. 

"I'm worried. Did Shinki's words hurt you?" 

"You're not gonna give up, huh? Fine. I can't believe it neither but... Somehow... I like you, " he confessed, looking away. 

"I like you too. Is something wrong about that?" 

Everything. 

"Yes. Kinda... Eh... Forget it. Let's join the others." He was going to leave the flat, but Araya grabbed his hand. 

"I like you," he repeated. "And I think I like you more than my friends. Like... I like you a lot."

It sounded funny, yet really cute. They were just kids. Little did they know about love and relationships. Confessing their feelings was the most embarrassing thing. So childish... 

"So? What are we going to do with that? You're from Suna, I live in the Konoha. Why did I tell you something like that? I'm so stupid," he yelled, hiding face in his hands. 

"You're cute," he said and put hand on Inojin's. Suddenly, he got anxious. He realized, what he said and did, which made him ashamed. 

Inojin was nervous as well. He liked that feeling, but he was thinking about Shikadai all the time. His head was flooded by the thoughts. Does he really like them both? He couldn't decide. 

"Oh! The seed? Do you watch over it?" he changed a topic and Araya led him to his room to show him the flower pot. "Not bad, but we should water it before we leave," he informed and looked around for a watering can. He found it on the shelf, but it was too high for him. He didn't want to ask for help, so he stood on a stool. It was unstable. After he'd grabbed a can, he fell down. Araya was trying to catch him, but he lost his balance as well. Yamanaka found himself on the puppeteer and blinked twice. Then he realized that brunet's hands were placed on his hips. It was so embarrassing that he couldn't move at first. He did that after a while and watered the plant.  
  
Araya was glad, that he was wearing a mask because his face grew red. In his eyes Inojin was really beautiful and that closeness only made him sure that he was falling for him. He had to admit, that he was attracted to that boy. A boy. Not a girl. In a fact, he has a femine body, beautiful face, long lashes and even longer hair but it doesn't mean he is a girl. It means that he likes boys. 

"We better go before they get angry," the blond boy said and left the flat. He didn't even look at the other. 

Araya just nodded and closed the door.

"You're really beautiful," he stated making the other glanced at him surprised. His cheeks flushed a little. 

He didn't expect to hear those words. Too bad, that Araya was the only one, who could say that, since he had a perfect view on his face and body. Inojin was upset, that he didn't even have a chance to see, what he was hiding under that mask. He could't compliment him.

"T-thanks" he mumbled shyly. 

*

When they joined Yodo and Shikadai, they still were embarrassed. Nara immediately noticed that and was sure that something happened. He couldn't hide his jealousy and dissatisfaction. He wanted to took his friend away from here. 

"Is everything okay?" he asked, trying to sound calm. 

Inojin nodded with a soft smile and sat next to him. Shikadai took his hand, glaring on the masked boy. 

He won't let him get closer to the Yamanaka.


	12. Chapter 12

There was no uncomfortable silent between all of them. They were talking and telling multiple stories about their missions. Even Araya, who isn't really talkative, was participating in those conversations. He felt even more confident, when they raised a topic of the art, nature and problems connected with that. Meanwhile, Shikadai was watching them quietly, visibly bored. Seeing happiness and enthusiasm in Inojin's eyes, he realized that he has never seen it before, during their talks. He was upset. 

"Shikadai! What is that face? Are you not feeling well? Why don't you join the conversation?" the blonde girl asked slightly worried. 

"Leave him alone. He doesn't know, what we're talking about. Shikadai may looks so smart, but when it comes to art, feelings and those stuff, he's-"

"Dumb. Is that what you wanted to say?" He glared at the smaller boy, almost scaring him. "Clueless? You're right."

He could feel all eyes on him, but he didn't care. He was worse than Araya. He couldn't make Inojin smile in that way. He seemed to be happier with that guy and Shikadai couldn't stand that. But what should he do? He won't change his personality. 

It was getting late, when they took a stroll. There weren't many things they could do, so they just split up before the sky was dark. They promised to meet before they come back to the Konoha. Yamanaka was wearing Araya's coat but it still felt cold a little. Nights are really different there and he was struggling with adjusting to it. Despite that, he was in a good mood, unlike Shikadai, who just wanted to reach the house as soon as it was possible.

The Sunagakure wasn't that bad as Inojin expected. Despite the poor vegetation and climat, it was pretty nice. He also wasn't disappointed by the views, which were really great. In the Konoha he has never gotten chance to see sand hills and such a beautiful sky above them. Yodo told him that the views overe there are awesome and even better that all those things he has already saw. It sounded like a really romantic place to him. He really wanted to go there, but he couldn't convince Shikadai, who wasn't a keen on such activities. It was too boring and too troublesome for him. He perceived it like time waste. Nara wasn't into art and nature and he never really cared about these things. Of course, he found some things look great or not but it was all he had got to say. 

"Shikadai, please. You can't spend the rest of the week on doing nothing," the smaller boy pouted, while the other closed his eyes, trying to ignore him, but it wasn't so easy. 

"You can go over there on your own by using the Super Beast Scroll. You don't need me," he said, yawning loudly. "I'd prefer to take a nap instead."

"Why are you like that? Why are you so lazy?" He frowned, facing the brunet, but he didn't care.

"Why are you so annoying?" he asked, opening one eye just to glance at him. "Why won't you ask Yodo? She would be really happy to accompany you."

"I-" Yamanaka bit his down lip, when his cheeks flushed a bit. He wanted to spend the rest of the day by his side and the idea of watching stars above them sounded nice. Just the two of them. "Why don't you want to spend time with me? Did I say something wrong? Or maybe I did something bad to you..." He seemed to be concerned.

"It's not like I don't want to spend time with you. I just feel like... Well, I don't have that sense of art like her or Araya, so I thought you may feel better with one of them." He stopped and looked right into his big eyes. The boy took a deep breath before speaking. "When you talk with them, you seem to be really interested in the conversation and so happy to share your opinion and passion with someone. You can't do it with me because I'm totally clueless, when it comes to those things you like. I want you to be happy and I realized you can't be really happy by my side. I'm wondering, why did you ask me to go with you, since I know you're getting mad whenever I say something about the art. It just doesn't work." He was staring at the other, who gave him a soft smile. Inojin approached him and grabbed his hand.

"And this is what is bothering you?" he asked, slightly amused. "Shikadai, I really appreciate that, but it doesn't matter if you're interested in the same things as me. Well, to be honest... I hate Shougi," he chuckled, but quickly calmed himself down. "I enjoy playing it as long as I can be with you. I like spending time by your side no matter what. If you don't like the idea of watching stars, that's fine. I just want you to know that I appreciate what you said, but I'm really happy whenever I'm next to you and I don't care if you say something stupid or ignorant," he said with a pure smile, which looked more like his mom's than his dad's. "I think it's good to share your interests with friends, but you aren't obligated to like that. It's just nice."

"So you asked me because you wanted to spend time with me? That makes no sense."

"You're right... You're so clueless," he sighed. "C'mon. I'm not asking you to go with me to the art gallery or museum. It's just a mountain. A freaking mountain! It's a really beautiful and romantic place that I want to visit with you!" he shouted at him

"C-can you repeat?" he asked astonished.

"I said, I-" he paused, when he realized, what he said. He looked surprised by his own words even more than Shikadai. "Are you going there with me or not?" he asked angrily, trying to hide his emarrassment.

"You're blushing," he commented with a smirk. "And it's not because you're ill... Right?"

"Shut up!" he screamed and walked away.

Nara shook his head in an amusement. In a fact, he got used to that behaviour, but it was still funny, yet kinda cute. He was surprised, how fast he can lost his temper. Perhaps, he inherited in from his mother. Most likely. Well, there are a lot of other things they have in a common, so it wouldn't be a big surprise. 

"Hey, wait for me! I'm going with you," he shouted, as he was trying to catch up with him, making him smile.

*

It was dark outside. The temperature was low but it didn't bother the boys, who were lying od the top of the mountain, staring at the beautiful, starlit sky. Inojin was amazed by that views. He didn't even notice, when he raised the corners of his mouth.

"Your smile is so pure. I love it," Shikadai commented, looking shamelessly at the blonde.

Yamanaka truly hated his pale skin because of a blush that was visible on his face. Fortunately, it was cold and his nose was red as well, so he could blame the temperature and climat. He refused to even glance at the older and tried to ignore them. He has already confessed his feelings to an another boy. Has he? He should forget about Shikadai for now. But it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. They're just friends! There won't be anything more between them.

"As you said, it's really beautiful and romantic place. Why don't we take the advantage of it?"

"W-what do you mean?" Inojin asked, slightly insecure but then Shikadai grabbed his hand.

"Let me start," he said, looking into the other's eyes. "Have you ever thought about being in a relationship?" he asked and the smaller one shook his head. In a fact, sometimes he was wondering how does it feel like, but in his eyes he was too young for that. "Well, I have. I mean, I can't stop thinking about you and our first kiss. It was kinda... Good, you know? It made me wanna keep you away from the other, safe. I know that's so selfish, but I don't want to share you with the others. But then... I can see your eyes and smile when you're around Araya. It pisses me off," he confessed with a neutral look on his face. "We're just kids and all those things are troublesome, but I can't help it."

"Do you mean you want me to become your boyfriend?" He seemed to be surprised. He didn't expect that from him.

"Well... I don't know. I like you and I may be wrong, but you obviously feel something towards me as well. You're blushing when you're around me and you want to spend most of the time with me," he stated.

"We're too young for that. Forget it." He shook his head.

"You're not so brave, when it comes to your feelings, right?" He raised his eyebrow. "What about Araya? Do you love him?"

"Shikadai, cut it out," he yelled at him, but Nara was determined. 

"But you kissed me. Not him," he reminded with a smirk. "And it felt nice."

"What do you want?" Inojin asked madly, facing the other.

"I want you to admit that you're in love with me."

It left Inojin speechless. He didn't know, what to say, so he just closed his eyes. Did he really fall in love with his best friend? If so... What does he feel towards Araya? He wouldn't be attracted to someone, who is wearing a mask, wouldn't he? In a fact, they have a lot in a common, even though their personalities are completely different. He enjoyed spending time with him as much as he loved Shikadai's presence. He couldn't decide.   
Suddenly, he felt the other boy's breath on his face, which forced him to open his eyes. Then he realized that their lips are really close and Inojin was fighting the urge to bring them even closer.   
He was just a kid. 

"You're the most important person in my live. I don't wanna lose you," the dark-haired boy whispered. After hearing that Inojin's eyes was filled by the tears.

"Shikadai..." he murmured shyly. "I don't think we should..."

"I want to kiss you. I want to prove you mine and your feelings."

"But-" he wanted to protest, but Nara didn't give him a chance. Instead of that, he just smashed their lips together in a passionate kiss. 

It wasn't like their first kiss. It was full of feelings.

After that they were staring at each other, not knowing what to do. Shikadai smirked, seeing Inojin's flushed cheeks but his smile vanished right after the blonde punched him right in the face. Nara looked at the other confused.

"You dumbass... Now you'll be ill as well," he chuckled and placed a soft kiss on Shikadai's cheek he hit.

"Well, I don't mind." He shrugged and laid next to him again. "As long as I'm with you," he added with a smile.

Inojin looked at him. His words made him feel special and loved. It was wonderful. But at the same time he felt awful. He squeezed a coat he was still wearing. He felt like he was cheating on Araya, since he confessed him his feelings first. Does he really love him?

He's just a kid. Little does he know about love.


	13. Chapter 13

It was the last day in the Sunagakure. Early in the morning boys were lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling. They could hear Temari, who was preparing a breakfast for them. She was probably in a good mood, since she was singing cheerfully. Inojin knew that it was because she was eager to see her husband. She wouldn't admit that, but it was obvious. It isn't anything bad! Inojin found it kinda cute. He also missed his parents and friends, but at the same time he felt quite upset. He wanted to come back to his family place, but it meant that he probably won't see Araya for a long time. It is hard to deny that his feelings were strong. He couldn't think about anything else, even with Nara lying beside him. 

"What's wrong?" Shikadai asked, glancing at him.

"Huh? Why are you asking?" He looked surprised by that sudden question. 

"Your face. It looks like you're going to cry or get mad... Or both," he sighed, raising on his elbow. "So?"

"Everything is fine. Don't worry," he ensured with a fake smile, making the other boy furrowed his eyebrows. He could tell he was lying. "Let's have some breakfast." He sounded cheerfully, but he clearly wasn't. He sat on the edge of bed, so that brunet wasn't able to see his face.

"Inojin," he called, watching him carefully. "I can tell when you're telling lies. You're always smiling, thinking that it will work on the others. It might, but not on me. Quit it, it's pointless," he didn't take his eyes of him even for a second. It made Inojin uncomfortable. "I'm gonna repeat my question. What's wrong?"

"I told you I'm fine," he answered, clenching his teeth. He couldn't say that he felt despondent because of another boy. He didn't want to hurt Shikadai. He didn't want to hurt anybody. He prefered to pretend that everything is alright. He hoped that his feelings will disappear soon. They were just a kids, after all. He refused to consider it like something serious. He was too young for that. They should focus on trainings instead of that. 

Inojin stood up and left the room.

"You're not fine at all," Shikadai whispered to himself with a worried look upon his face. He was staring at the door, thinking what is bothering the blond one. Could it be his fault? Perhaps, it was too much for him. "Troublesome boy," he whispered helplessly and followed him. 

They both entered the kitchen and were greeted by Temari, who smiled at them. She immediately frowned, seeing how they both looked like. She already knew that Inojin caught a cold, but it was getting worse. His face was pale, even paler than usual and she could notice dark circles under his eyes. 

"Your mother won't be pleased with that," she sighed and approached them. She placed her hands on their foreheads. "You have a fever as well," she said, glaring at her son. 

Shikadai gulped, not knowing how to respond. His mother was the scariest woman he knew. She was the only person that could left him totally speechless. Seeing his reaction, Inojin decided to explain her why they both are ill.

"Please, don't get angry at Shikadai, Auntie Temari. It was my fault. Nights are really cold here. Yesterday we wanted to see the stars. Well, I wanted to and Shikadai agreed to go with me. Please, forgive us our actions. It won't happen again. I promise."

Temari raised her eyebrows hearing those words. Of course, she wasn't happy with their unresponsibility, but the soft smile appeared on her face. It's nice to see how they defend each other. "It's alright. We're going back to the Konoha tomorrow. I hope you'll fell better. Today you're not allowed to leave this house," she said with a serious tone and placed breakfast on the table. "Enjoy your meal. I'm going to get you some medicines," the blonde informed and left them.

Inojin bit his down lip, looking at the scrumbled eggs and toasts. He completely lost his apetite. He was so unreasonable and because of that he couldn't even see Araya. He didn't know when he will get another opportunity to talk with him. Sunagakure is far away from his village. He realized that it must have been someting more than just a crush. He has never miss someone that much before. He has never wanted to be close somebody before. 

"Eat," Shikadai ordered, staring at him. "In other case you won't feel better." 

"You're right, but-"

"You're getting on my nerves," he cutted his sentence. "I'm not you. I can't read in your mind. I won't understand what's going on unless you tell me."

Inojin opened his lips, but quickly gave up and didn't say any word. He took a fork, trying to force himself to eat. It wasn't that easy.

"So you're gonna remain silence, huh? Perhaps it's because you think I'm not sensitive enough to understand it? You think I'm too clueless, right? Of course, you do. Sorry, I'm not Araya."

"Just shut up," the younger growled, looking into his eyes. "I don't feel like arguing."

"Then tell me, what is wrong," he insisted.

"Everything," he replied, raising tone of his voice. "Are you satisfied now?"

"..."

They were staring on each other. The atmosphere was pretty bad. Shikadai couldn't understand his behaviour. He wished he had an ability to see what was happening inside his head. He was wondering what "everything" meant. 

"Talk to me. I wanna help you," Nara said softly.

"You can't help me. Nobody can. Excuse me."

He stood up and left Nara alone. He was holding back his tears. Inojin may look so confident and cheerful outside but the truth was that inside he was completely mess. Everyone called him pretty, but he hated his appearance. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw nothing but weakness. He hated his long hair, pale eyes, pale skin. He hated his height and weight. He hated everything about himself. Can real, strong shinobi look like that? People always considered him as a weak and he could agree with them. That's why Shikadai always protected him.

"I'm so useless," he said to himself, sitting in the corner of Shikadai's room. He knew that his friend is going to join him, so he immediately wiped away his tears.

He was overwhelmed. Flooded by the thoughts. He wanted to believe that someone actually liked him, but he couldn't. He didn't trust anyone. How can someone fall in love with a person like him? He was small, weak, mean. His slightly anemic body wasn't attractive at all along with his femine face. Why does anybody care about him? Why do Shikadai and Araya want to spend time with him? Was that because they felt sorry for him?   
He really liked them both, yet he didn't trust them. It felt lonely.

"Why am I like this?"

Why wasn't he poweful like Boruto or Mitsuki? Why wasn't he as smart as Shikadai?   
He didn't want to be defended. He wanted to defend others. Unfortunately, he was always behind them. He wasn't good enough.

He was so lonely. 

"You can't hide like this," Shikadai said, entering the room. 

"And you can't tell me what to do."

"Actually, I can. I'm the team leader."

Inojin opened his eyes wide and looked at him. "What did you say?"

That was unaccetable. 

"I... Listen, it's not what I meant."

"No, keep going. Tell me how useless and hopeless I am."

"What are you talking about?" He raised his eyebrow in a confusion.

"I should have known. You've never really cared about me, have you? You just can't stand the thought that I can leave you and become independent. You can't stand the thought of loosing control. You always treated me like your subordinate."

"I don't know what you mean. I always cared about you the most."

"Then why you're always trying your best to make me feel worse? Why aren't you happy when I am? Why didn't you let me be happy with somebody else?"

"It's not like that," he wanted to explain, but he didn't know how. "I was scared that I'm going to lose you."

"What?" 

"I lost Boruto. I feel like he forgot about our friendship. He spends all days with Mitsuki and Sarada. I can't lose you like that. When I see your smile appears across your face whenever you see Araya or talk to him I want to wipe it away and make you feel worse, so that I could be the one who will make you feel better."

Inojin shook his head and slowly got up. 

"You're sick," he said, trying to hold back his tears, but it was pointless. "You're sick," he repeated as he walked over to the door. 

"And you're not? You don't act like a healthy person as well."

"It's because of you," he answered quickly, almost shouting at the other. 

"No. I wanted to keep you safe."

To Inojin it seemed like he wanted to make him feel weak, so that he could protect him. He clenched his fists, trying to calm down. 

"You were manipulating me. It has nothing to do with 'keeping me safe', you know."

"I..." He paused as he realized that Inojin was right. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry... Are you kidding me?" He placed his hand on the door handle. "I'm out."

"Wait. What about my mother?" he asked seemingly worried. "You can't just leave."

"Think of something. You're good at it," he said with a fake smile and left the house. He couldn't stand his presence anymore.

He didn't really know where to go. He decided to move towards Araya's house. He hoped that it was the right way, but since he didn't know this village, wasn't sure about that. After some time he reached the place he was heading to and knocked to the door. He was impatient as always, so he repeated it nervously.

"Let me in or I'll destroy the door," Inojin shouted. He was definitely not in a mood, which Araya could easily notice. He did as he was told. 

"You're scaring me," he said, slightly amused. "So what brings you to me?" 

"I wanted to say goodbye. I'm leaving tomorrow," he replied and sat on the couch. 

"And that's why you almost ruined my door?" he asked, crossing his arms. 

"You got me there. Well, I didn't lie, I wanted to see you before I leave, but... Forget it." 

"Go on," he encouraged. "Please."

Inojin sighed. "I don't want to talk about that." 

"So why did you come over?" He sat next to him. It felt comfortable.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "I enjoy spending time with you, but if you don't I can go." He was ready to get up, but Araya stopped him, placing hand on his knee.

"You can stay. I'm just curious. You don't look very well and your behaviour is unusual. I'm not a doctor, but I think you should stay at home and take care of yourself."

"Then why don't you take care of me here?" he asked, resting his head on the other's shoulder, which got him anxious.

"W-what do you mean?" He moved aside, looking at him confused. 

Inojin burst out laughing. "I wish I could see your face! I don't know what you're thinking about, but I'd love to have some tea." He straightened up and gave him a soft smile. "Please?" The blond looked at him with puppy eyes.

Araya couldn't refuse. 

"Alright," he replied and left to the kitchen. "Want me to add some sugar?" he asked loudly enough.

"Three spoons," he answered cheerfully. The blond rested chin on his knees and ereased smile. Shikadai was right. He was smiling when he wanted to hide his true feelings. It was awful.

He wasn't really himself. 

"Here you are," Araya handed him a small cup. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, thanks." He took a sip, but it was too hot. "Can I ask you something?" He glanced at him to get a permission. "What do you think about me? What do you feel towards me?"

"Well... I've already told you, that I like you. I admire you as a ninja and artist. All those medical and mind techniques are fascinating. Well, it saved me. You're also very talented painter. I love your works," Araya answered almost immediately. "I like your personality. I love your smile. I've never met someone like you before. I won't lie if I say that you brightened my life up." He smiled under the mask and blushed a little, which Inojin fortunately couldn't see.

"I asked you to tell me what you think about me, not to complement me," Inojin said, furrowing his eyebrows.

"But this is what I think. Of course, you can be annoying and mean sometimes, but I still like you and that's not going to change," he added, making the smaller feel embarrassed.

"You're the one who's being annoying here," he hissed.

"If you say so," Araya gave up and stretched his arms, looking at the ceiling. "I'll miss you," he confessed inadvertently. When he realized what he said, he immediately stood up, trying to explain that. "I mean... I... It's because-"

"You like me," Inojin finished his sentence for him. "You've already said that. And there is nothing wrong with that. I'll miss you as well." The blond placed half empty cup on a table and got up. He approached him. Their height difference seemed to be bigger than it really was. Inojin put his hands on Araya's arms and hugged him. The other one didn't move. He was paralyzed. To Yamanaka his cluelessness was quite adorable.

It was nice. He wanted it to last forever.

After a while the taller boy wrapped his arms around Inojin's waist. He has never felt in that way before. Araya didn't have any family or close friends. He was a loner. That warmth was so pleasurable that he wanted to drown in it. It reminded him his beloved mother, who died when he was a toddler. He squeezed him tigher.

Inojin smiled softly.

"Let's meet soon," the younger said after a while. "I'll be always there for you," he whispered letting the other do what he wanted to.

Finally, he felt needed.  
He felt strong.  
He felt important. 

Sadly, Shikadai didn't consider him like that.


	14. Chapter 14

Inojin slowly entered the Nara's house, ready for Temari's anger. He wasn't allowed to leave this place, but it was impossible for him to stay there. It could end badly. Despite that, he really wanted to see Araya for the last time in the Sunagakure. He knew very well that he most likely won't visit that village in the nearest future. Did he regret what he did? No. Was he afraid of his friend's mother? Of course, yes.  
He went to the living room and looked around. He didn't spot her anywhere. Instead of that, he heard his friend's voice, which scared him at first. He thought it was somebody else, but when he realized it was Shikadai, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where have you been?" Shikadai asked immediately after seeing the blond boy, who rolled his eyes and sat on the couch.

"Well, If you have to know..." He crossed his legs, looking at the other with a smirk. "I visited Araya. I don't know when I'll get next opportunity to see him, so I decided to do it today," he explained, proudly watching his reactions. He seemed to be upset about that fact.

"You're lucky that my mum believed me that you went to bed. She didn't want to bother you, so she handed mi the medicines. You should take it," he said and gave him it without glancing at him. "Go to bed... I mean, if you want to..."

"You're trying to be nice, huh?" Inojin raised his eyebrow. "Actually, I don't want to. Where's Auntie Temari? She isn't at home, is she?" He lazily looked up to see Nara's face.

"No," he replied simply. "My mum went to see my uncles before we left. She hardly ever sees them," he added and finally decided to look at the blond. "Can we talk?" he asked nervously.

"Talk? We're talking at this moment," he answered ironically. "What else do you want to say?" He glanced at him seemingly bored. He even pretended to yawn.

"I want to apologize to you." He knelt in front of him and bowed. "I'm really sorry. Please, forgive me."

Inojin looked at him surprised. He didn't know how to react on it. After a while he decided to speak again. "Do you think some apologizes will be enough to fix it? You literally ruined my trust in you," he said sadly. "What is more... You almost ruined me."

Shikadai slowly raised his head up to see other's face.

"I know... I will never do that again. Let's start from the beginning," he suggested.

Inojin has almost forgiven him, but he won't be able to forget about that. In fact, he didn't want to lose his dear friend. He wanted to be right next to him. They are Ino-Shika-Cho. They live and die together. There is no way that they could be separated. Nothing can break them.

"Fine," he answered and knelt next to him. He reached out his hand. "I'll introduce myself then... Yamanaka Inojin. I'm not a kind of person you should worry about. I'm strong, independent and self-confident person." He smiled, closing his eyes. "Let's become friends."

Shikadai slightly raised corners of his mouth, watching the other. He loved that smile. He could look at it all the time. It was so vulnerable. He wanted to protect it at all costs. No, he didn't need to. That boy didn't need any protection. He was right. Inojin is strong. He always was. Shikadai just forgot about that fact. He realized that the way he was treating Yamanaka was horrible. He must change it. He can't make that mistake again. 

But being just friends wasn't enough for him. He wanted more.

Shikadai grabbed Inojin's hand. "Nara Shikadai. Nice to meet you," he said, making the other chuckle.

"Good. Let's forget about everything what happened here between us. We have to move on." The blond one stood up and led to the bedroom. "We should rest to recover. My mum will be furious if she finds out I have a fever."

"We barely got to know each other and you're inviting me to the bed?" Shikadai raised his eyebrow, laughing quietly.

"Oh, shut up, Nara! Besides, it's your bed," he hissed and entered bedroom. "We have to get better before we leave, so don't even say a word and go to the bed."

"Troublesome," he sighed, slightly amused, and laid down next to him. 

They spend the rest of day in that way. It felt nice. They finally were able to talk and laugh without any negative feelings or awful lies. They could be themselves.  
After a supper, they went to sleep. Shikadai didn't even close his eyes. He turned to the blond just to see his peaceful face. He truly resambled an angel. Nara was glad that he could look at it. He was lucky that Inojin had a big heart. Shikadai was so happy, but at the same time so upset. He couldn't forgive himself what he did to Inojin. He wasn't himself at all. He really loved that boy. He will always do. Being just friends is so hurtful. At least he didn't lose him  
How can he protect his beloved one if he isn't allowed to?  
Shikadai closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep. 

Early in the morning they were woken up by Temari. She asked Kankuro to help them with their bags, so that they wouldn't miss the train. Inojin felt much better, but he's nose was still running. Shikadai seemed to be completely fine. Both boys got ready immediately and ate breakfast. They left the house and headed to the train station. Yamanaka looked backwards to see beautiful garden.

"Please, take care of the flowers," he mumbled.

It was hard to say if he was talking about Nara's garden or perhaps he meant Daisy he gave Araya. He wasn't even aware that he said it out loud until Kankuro replied him.

"Don't worry, kid. Everything will be alright," he ensured the boy, making him smile.

Such words never affect on him. What is more, it can only get him anxious. He did his best not to show it and remained silence. It took them less time to get to the station than they had expected. Inojin put his bag down, waiting for the train. He sighed, staring at the floor. Something was wrong. He could feel that.

"Ino, is everything fine?" Shikadai looked at him with a concern.

"'Ino?'" he repeated, raising his eyebrow. "Don't call me like that. That's my mother's name, not mine!" he shouted angrily. He could stand that he looks like his mother, but he won't let anyone call him by her name.

"Okay, calm down. What is bothering you?" he asked again, leaning to him.

"No, everything is fine. It's just a cold." He gave him a weak smile.

They saw a train, which arrived ealier than it was scheduled. Inojin hurrily got into it and was followed by dark haired boy and his mother. Something was really bothering him, but he couldn't tell what it was. He rested his chin on his hand and looked through the window. Surprisingly, Yamanaka wasn't really talkative during the journey. Perhaps he just wasn't in a mood.  
They arrived in the evening. The sky was already dark. Only stars were able to lighten it up. It appeared to be usual, peaceful night. It was too peaceful. He looked up to see some birds. Their behaviour wasn't normal. It only made him nervous. He didn't say a word and followed the others. They almost reached the place, when they heard sound of explosions with terryfying screams. It successfully stopped them. 

"W-what was that noise?" blond boy asked, pointing in its direction. Shikadai quickly grabbed his hand and shook his head, trying to make the other not to ask further questions.

"Wait here. Don't you dare enter," Temari ordered, furrowing her eyebrows and quickly got inside.

"I have a sinking feeling," Inojin murmured, staring at Konoha's walls in front of him.

Shikadai was holding his hand real tight. He could feel his entire body shaking and gave him soft look. He was scared. He knew that something had to be wrong. His mother never behaves in that way. It mean that the whole village was in danger. He could feel that but he didn't want to show it. "Everything will be fine," he ensured him, smiling weakly.

But the blond boy wasn't listening him. He ignored Temari's orders and entered the village. He was shocked. It was terryfying to see all those dead bodies on the ground, houses on fire and some shinobis fighting. He stopped and covered his mouth, shaking his head. It couldn't be the truth. He hoped it was just a nightmare. It wasn't. "I need to find my parents," he said to himself, but Shikadai stopped him, grabbing his arm.

"We can't." He gave him a serious look.

Inojin's eyes were opened widely. He wasn't even able to blink. Instead of that he glanced sideways. "I'm not going to stand over here when our friends are fighting," he intimated, glaring at the other. "I will look for my parents."

Shikadai couldn't move at first. Despite the fact he was a Chuunin, he didn't know, what he should do. He felt weak, small and completely helpless about that situation. Inojin was right, they had to act. The fear was visible on their faces when they were passing by destroyed buldings, bodies and broken glass, which was cracking under their feet. What a horrible feeling...

"Isn't that Iwabee's team?" dark haired boy asked, pointing at the familiar silhouettes. They were fighting. "We should help them." He looked at Inojin to get the confirmation.

With their support, they managed to beat opponents up. Unfortunately, Metal got hurt. His injuries were severe and Inojin was the only one who could help him. 

"Please, heal him," Iwabee begged. "I'm not as good as you in medical ninjutsu. Please, help him. He's gonna die!"

Yamanaka looked at the boys and then at the building of Konoha Team Barrier. A thick smoke was visible. He bit his lip, not knowing what to do. He couldn't let his friend die, but at the same time he needed to see his parents and make sure that they are fine. It took him a while to decide. He had to trust in their abilities. As a medical ninja he had some duties that needed to be filled. Inojin knelt next to Metal's unconscious body, ready to heal him. After some time it was done. He felt exhausted when he heard familiar voice inside his head.

"Inojin, honey." It was Ino. 

"M-mom? What's happening? Where are you?" He looked around in a concern.

"Honey... We don't have much time. Your mommy is on her verge," she said, making her son froze. She told him everything from the beginning. It was horrible. "I love you. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Thank you for making me such a proud mother. Thank you for making me smile everyday. Thank you for teaching me how to be a parent. Thank you for everything. I'm so sorry that I won't teach you anything more. Please, forgive me... I wish I could hug you... I wish I could see you grow to reflect the meaning of our clan flower symbol: the bush clover..." Inojin let his tears fall down as he was staring into blank space. "I'll always be with you. Please, tell your dad that I'm sorry. My chakra is running out, I won't be able to link him, so please... Tell him, I'm really sorry for that," she asked, but Inojin couldn't even move his lips. "I love you," Ino repeated one more time, before she left him.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru appeared next to the boys, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thanks Goodness, you're safe."

"Father! What happened?" Shikadai asked, looking at his dad. "What about our friends?" 

"Kara invaded the village. We knew it's going to happen, but we didn't expect it that soon. They probably managed to beat Konoha Team Barrier, so that the numbers of their soldiers were able get in. Right now, Team 7 is fighting against them along with Naruto and Sasuke. Sai and Temari are on the battlefield as well. They're looking for injured people and escort them to Sakura and other medics," he answered and lit a cigarette.

"What about Chocho?"

"She's fine. She's with their parents. All genins are safe."

"And Moegi-sesnei... Is she a-alive?" he asked another questions, feeling his stomach aching.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows and glanced at the battlefield. "Who knows... I hope she is, but..." He looked at his son. "It has begun. The war," he said, making Shikadai close his eyes. He wanted to wake up from that nighmare but it was impossible. Suddenly, they heard Inojin's voice.

"My mother..." he started, looking at Shikadai. He couldn't hold back his tears anymore. "My mother is dead," he could barely say that.

"Inojin..." It was all he managed to say.

Hearing that, Shikamaru opened his eyes widely and dropped cigarette on a ground, looking at the blond boy in a shock.

"They killed the whole Yamanaka Clan to get rid of the barrier..." he continued with a shaking voice. "She told me... They did everething they could to stop them, but they had no chance."

The dark haired boy was just staring at him along with the others who were shocked. None of them could believe in those words. They hoped that it was just a joke. A horrible, terryfying joke. Shikadai was struggling with speaking and moving. He was just standing over there, unable to do anything, unable to cheer Inojin up. He wanted to say that everything will be alright. But it won't. Their lives will never be the same. He couldn't even imagine how he felt. Instead of pointless sentences he reached for Inojin's trembling body before the smaller one collapsed and hugged him tight. He let him cry this pain away.


	15. Chapter 15

It was rainy day. All shinobi of the Konoha gathered in the cemetery to honor the memory of those who died in an unequal fight with the members of Kara. They were wearing black clothes as a sign of mourning. Inojin was doing his best, trying to hold back the tears, but it was pointless. While looking at the monument of his late mother, those painful tears were falling down his cheeks. It was noticed by Shikadai, who embraced his friend without a word. He couldn't even imagine, how Inojin felt. There was nothing more he could do. He glanced at Boruto, who also remained a silence. No comforting words were needed. It won't bring Ino's life back.

~~

Meanwhile, Sai was standing in front of their flower shop. It was impossible for him to attend to funeral. He has never felt in this way before. Something died inside him. It hurt. He forgot that burning pain. It was even worse than that feeling after Shin's death. Perhaps he shouldn't have learnt about human emotions. They are useless.

"Hey." He heard familiar voice, but it didn't even make him look in that direction. "What are you doing here? The ceremony has already begun," Shikamaru informed, as he stood right next to artist.

"I know," he replied, not paying attention. 

"I think you should be there. Inojin needs you," he said and lit a cigarette. "Well, I know that it's troublesome, but..." He paused. He knew that it won't work on him. "Listen, I know how it feels... To lost an important person... But you have to live for those who are alive. Think about your son." 

"He hates me," the raven stated, making Nara widened his eyes. "He hasn't spoken to me since... Since that day. He's right. I cannot blame him. I hate myself as well. It's my fault."

"What are you talking about? It is not-"

"We knew that they were going to invade our village. We knew that they wanted to destroy our sensing system, yet we didn't do anything. I didn't do anything to protect my family. Oh, God... Thankfully, Inojin wasn't there."

He was right. Normally, as a part of the system Inojin would be in that building, filling his duties. 

"He's alive. He's safe and that's why you should be there. I'm sure Ino is watching us. She's counting on you. Don't let her down."

"Shikamaru..."

"Besides... We are here to help you. You're member of Yamanaka Clan, so you are part of our big family. Don't forget it." He winked at him.

Sai just smiled in response. He tried at least. 

~~

After Hokage's speech, Team 10 along with Team 7 decided to spend some time at Lighting Burger, doing their best to cheer Inojin up. But that was not the only reason, why they decided to hang out over there.

"My, my... Even those delicious fries can't help," Chocho complained, drinking some fizzy drink. "I have to order bigger set," she added, looking at the blond boy, as she was trying to provoke him. 

"You've just ordered one," Sarada said, smiling at her friend. She glanced at Inojin. He didn't react. He was staring at his full plate. She sighed, knowing that bringing him there wasn't a good idea.

"Hey, Inojin. You're paler than usual. You should eat something!" Boruto stood behind him. Since his hair was loose, he brushed it back. "It's better now."

But Inojin didn't say a word. He didn't even blink. 

"Should I feed you?" Uzumaki asked, but before he could do anything Shikadai stopped him with a glare.

"Enough. I think we should go. It wasn't a good idea," he said as he raised up.

"Please, don't!" Boruto shouted, confusing everyone in the restaurant. "I invited you over here because there is something we wanted to tell you," he paused and glanced at Sarada and Mitsuki, who gave him a smile. "We're leaving the Konoha."

Inojin widened his eyes, but he decided to remain a silence, just like the rest.

"You... What?" Shikadai asked after a while.

"My dad offered us help in our trainings. We're leaving tomorrow. Please, try to understand us. We have to grow stronger," Sarada explained. "I have to improve my Sharingan. I can't do it on my own."

"Besides, it will make things easier for you. The Kara is more interested in us, so I suppose they will follow-"

"Shut up!" Iwabee hit the table and stood up. "How can you be so selfish? Inojin just lost his mother and you're gonna leave him!"

"W-we-"

"I said 'shut up'! You're leaving us when we need you. You're leaving your friends! You're just running away. Pathetic. Besides they attacked the base of sensing system, not you and you think that you're important to them? Ridiculous. You're truly-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Inojin shouted, staring at the floor. It made everyone silent. "It's fine. You can leave," he added calmly, "I don't need you. I don't need any of you," he said and left the table.

"You see?"

"Iwabee, cut it out," Shikadai tried to calm him down. "Boruto, can we talk for a moment?" he asked, looking at his friend. "In private," he added to avoid arguing with others. 

Boruto just nodded.

"So you're gonna leave us? For real? Right now? When we need your support?" Shikadai asked, standing at the back of the building. He wasn't angry. He didn't want to scold him for that, but he couldn't come to terms with his decision either. It was too much for him. He was loosing people that were really important for him and he couldn't do anything about it. He felt so helpless. On the other side, he knew that such training was important to them and would improve their skills for sure. How could he judge them?

"Shikadai..." Boruto said quietly, giving him a soft look, but he quickly changed it. "Take care of Inojin. I'll come back much stronger. I promise," he said determinated.

"What about your parents and Himawari? Have you told them what you're going to do?"

"Not yet," he replied, looking away.

"How long?"

"Huh?" He looked at his friend confused.

"How long it will take? It's not ordinary training, is it?"

"Two... Maybe three years." He leaned against the tree. "I really don't know. Uncle Sasuke said, that we'll come back, when we will be strong enough."

"So you're leaving us for three years... You're just kidding around, right?"

Boruto sighed. "I have to. That's my responsibility. I hope you'll understand it some day," he answered and turned his back to Shikadai. "Just take care of him." He put hands in his pockets and walked away, leaving him alone.

But... Is it what Inojin needs? 

~~

When Inojin came home, Sai was sitting by the table in the living room. He was staring into blank space. He didn't greet his son when he came back. He didn't even look at him. Was that because he resembled Ino? 

"Dad?" Inojin approached him. "You were absent at the funeral." He sat next to him, watching him carefully. The dark haired man couldn't respond immediately. He just glanced at the blond and sighed.

"I'm sorry. It was too much for me. I hope you're not mad at me." He looked at his son, smiling forcefully.

"Don't do it," the boy said, furrowing his eyebrows, which made the elder confused. "Don't smile at me like that."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, closing his eyes. 

"What are we going to do now? We don't have sensing system anymore. I can-"

"Don't even say that. You won't be part of it anymore."

"But dad-"

"You won't be taking part of any mission as well," Sai annouced without any expression on his face.

"You can't be serious," he laughed pathetically. "I have to take my responsibility as a Yamanaka Clan member. No... As Yamanaka Clan leader. I'm not that weak baby boy I used to be. I'm the leader now. No matter what you say, I'm not going to give up. I'll do my best." Inojin stood up, glaring at his father. It looked like his words didn't affect on him at all. "And after that I'll take the revenge."

"Sit down," he ordered, but the blond wasn't listening. "You don't understand anything, Inojin. You're too young and I... I can't lose you."

"Stop treating me like that! It's not like I'm going to die immediately after our conversation. Well, I'm not going to die at all. I'm going to improve my sensing skills. I'm going to surpass my grandfather, my mother and become the best Yamanaka Clan leader ever. I'll do it. Please, trust me."

"Inojin..." he murmured, before his son hugged him. 

"I'll be alright. We'll be alright, I promise," Inojin whispered. "Just trust me."

Sai opened his mouth as he wanted to say something, but instead of that he left the table and went to his room. 

Next day Inojin was watering flowers in their shop. He was thinking about his conversation with his father. Sai didn't gave him any answer. He was afraid that he won't let him do his job anymore. He didn't even notice when Shikadai appeared. He was too overwhelmed by the thoughts to hear a sound of bell. 

"Hey!" The dark haired boy called out, entering the building. "Boruto and his team is leaving soon."

"I know," he replied, focusing on the plants. "I'll join you in a while. I have to visit my mom," he said, making Shikadai look at him with compassion.

"Are you bringing her flowers? You did it yesterday."

"Yes, but I'm sure that yesterday's rain killed them. My mum loved those flowers. They are called Cosmos." He showed Shikadai one of them. "Well, they are not meant for graves, but they had special meaning for her. That's why I decided to chose it along with Bush Clover, our Clan's symbol," he explained, preparing a beautiful bouquet.

"Uh, I see... I'm going with you then," he replied. "Um... What about that place? Are you going to close it?" Shikadai asked, seeing the note saying 'closed on the door. Because of that question Inojin glared at him, making him gulp.

"No. I would never do that. It was really important to my mum and my grandfather. It's my responsibility. I'll run this shop. I will do my best to make people happy, just like they did." 

"You really love flowers, don't you?" Nara raised eyebrow in a smile. He knew the answer. Inojin was just like his mother. Flowers and paintings were his greatest passion. There were plenty of paintings showing many kinds of flowers in his room.

"I do," he admitted. "Let's go. I don't want to be late." The blond boy said, leaving the store.

"Yeah, let's go," Shikadai followed him, watching his back. He deeply admired that boy. He wanted to protect him, but at the same time he knew that it won't be necessary. He was strong. 

But... Will he ever be the same? 

~~

It was early in the morning, when Araya heard knocking. In fact it wasn't his day off, but he was sure that the training session begins in the afternoon. That's why he didn't expect anyone to visit him. Despite that, he lazily got up, and opened the door. Araya was always glad to see his friends, but this time their face expressions made him anxious. He didn't even greet them.

"I'm so sorry," Yodo said, giving him compassionate look.

"What? Why?" Araya asked really confused. He invited them inside and closed the door. He wasn't wearing his mask, which wasn't anything unusual, especially when he was in his own flat. His teammates saw him without it ealier. Unfortunately for him, they were able to see his emotions.

"So you didn't hear the news," the girl murmured. It made Araya quite nervous.

"The whole Yamanaka Clan and some other people were killed by members of Kara." Shinki looked into his eyes without emotions.

"Wha-" He couldn't speak. He immediately sat on a chair and hid his face in hands. "Is Inojin..." He glanced at his friend through his fingers.

"No. He's alive. He was lucky because from what I heard he is a part of Konoha's sensing system. As a member of it he supposed to be there," he explained carelessly. "But according to what my father said his mother is dead. She was one of the greatest or even the greatest sensor in the shinobi world. Hurry up and get ready. We are asked to take part in celebration to honor her and the rest."

Shinki looked at his friend, who didn't even move. He couldn't believe in what he heard. It sounded like a nightmare or a cruel joke, but he knew that neither Shinki nor Yodo wasn't kidding. He felt so sorry for Inojin. Since Araya was raised up by strangers and he doesn't know how true family looks like, he couldn't imagine how he felt. He knew it must be hard time for him and that's why he wanted to be there with him. But he wasn't needed. Inojin had his father, his friends and his Shikadai. He didn't need him. 

"Hey, are you listening? Hurry up. The ceremony starts in half an hour," Shinki annouced, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Sorry, I... Just give me five minutes," he said and disappeared behind toilet's door. 

"I think we should-" 

"He will be fine," Shinki cut off girl's sentence, staring at the door. "Besides, he is a shinobi. Just like us. We have to be prepared for that." He looked at the blonde. "The war has begun."

"I know but... I understand." 

~~

"So... You're really leaving us?" Chocho bit her lip with teary eyes.

"Chocho..." Sarada murmured, trying not to cry.

"Hey, stop doing that! We will see each other in a while!" Boruto smiled, but it washed away as soon as Inojin started to speak.

"You don't know that. Perhaps it's our last meeting." He shrugged, looking around. 

"It doesn't sound optimistic, dattebasa," Boruto replied, raising his eyebrows. "Shikadai, remember what I said."

"Yeah, don't worry." He gave him a smile.

"Can you just go?" Yamanaka asked, visibly bored. 

"Let's make a promise," Uzumaki started. "We will be friends forever, no matter what. We will never forget about our bonds."

"That sounds really embarrassing, but fine," Shikadai said. "Right?" He looked at his teammates. Chocho nodded in response, but Inojin didn't pay attention. "Right?" He repeated the question louder, smiling at the shorter boy.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"It's time for us to leave," Sasuke announced and started walking away, not even waiting for the rest. 

"Um, yeah. See ya!" Boruto waved and ran after the raven.

And they left.   
Shikadai's smile washed away as soon as they disappeared. He glanced at Chocho and Inojin. The girl was crying pathetically, and the blonde boy was just standing with emotionless face. 

Their life won't ever be the same. 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story!  
> But....  
> There will be second part of it pretty soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for all the mistakes I made. English is not my first language. I hope you liked it after all. :)


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